I was fortunate enough to be part of a group of Philippine journalists taken on a familiarization tour of Singapore by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in March, and in our three-day stay there we were taken up to dizzying heights a total of four times. For this first-time visitor, viewing Singapore from such a high vantage point placed the city state in perspective.

The view from the Tiger Sky Tower

Tiger Sky Tower
The first time we went up was on the Tiger Sky Tower on the resort island of Sentosa. It’s a circular platform that rotates upward on a 131-meter high tower, kind of like a huge donut on a stick. The ride is slow enough to give a breathtaking view across Singapore and its mix of greenery and skyscrapers, Sentosa and its hotels, theme parks, and other attractions, and the Southern Islands off Sentosa which are still being developed.

It was a slow, leisurely ride and there was no sense of danger to it, but it was certainly a fun way to view the surrounding areas. A recorded voice-over gave highlights of the views, but honestly I was so taken by the sight that I hardly listened and simply took it all in.

Cable Cars
After the ride we went straight to the cable cars that connect Sentosa Island to Mt. Faber on the mainland. The small cars seat six people each, and because they are a little small they can swing somewhat on their way up to the towers that hold the cables. Add to this a 360-degree view through the panoramic windows and you get a real sense of flying.

Constructed in 1972, or just six years after gaining independence in 1966, the cable car system was part of the government’s master plan for tourism projects for the country — which shows just how forward looking the Singaporeans are. The system is run by the Mount Faber Leisure group, which also handles the three stations (Sentosa, Harbour Front, and The Jewel Box on Mt. Faber). From the high vantage point the view was simply breathtaking. On the way to the middle station in Harbour Front we got a view of the resort island and the waters that surround it. We also passed over two cruise ships and got to see a few of the hundreds, maybe thousands, of ships docked at the Singapore harbor.

Our guide Marilyn Long of the Mount Faber Leisure Group told us that after the first stop the view would change drastically, and she was right. As soon as the cable car passed the Harbour Front station, we were met by the mainland with all its trees, buildings, and roads. Cars zoomed by below us, and we could make out people walking or running through the sidewalks. It was amazing how Singapore’s face could change in a matter of minutes if you view it from above.

We got off at Mt. Faber and walked into The Jewel Box, a complex of restaurants and shops built in 2007 to spice up what was then just a cable car terminal. Here one could dine in any of the four jewel-themed restos before or after taking the cable car to Sentosa. I had hiked up the 110-meter Mt. Faber (which is really just a hill) and walked past this place on my first morning in Singapore (Bay Hotel where I stayed was just below the hill), and I was curious to see what it was all about. One of its interesting features is an “award-winning” restroom that, according to the Jewel Box website, won Best Toilet in the French International Website in 2006.

On our way back to the cable cars we saw the VIP cabin that offered luxurious travel through the cable system. Leather seats, fine dining, fine wine, a butler — the best things in life for those who can afford it. Marilyn said it was popular with couples, and boys book the VIP car to propose to their sweethearts. “At this height,” she joked, “no girl would say no.”

Skyride
Back in Sentosa we went up a third time after completing the Skyline Luge, a part go-cart, part toboggan ride that lets you navigate down a twisting path all on the force of gravity. At the end of the ride, we took the Skyride, a chairlift similar to the ones in ski resorts, back to the starting point. It was just a short ride but was still thrilling because unlike the Sky Tower and the cable car, there was no canopy around the chair to give one a sense of security. It’s just you and the elements around you.

The Singapore Flyer
Of course the granddaddy of all rides in Singapore is the Flyer, which we took the following day. Built on the southeast tip of Marina Bay and standing at 165 meters, the Singapore Flyer is the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. Its 150-meter diameter wheel is built on a three-story terminal building that has shops, bars, and restaurants. For sheer bird’s-eye-view pleasure, nothing beats this.

The Singapore Flyer is described as an observation wheel, and from such a high vantage point one really gets a good view of Singapore as well as some parts of Indonesia (the islands of Batam and Bintan) and Malaysia (specifically Johor). A full rotation takes about 30 minutes, and in that span of time our guide, Dino Maniam, pointed out all the interesting places in view as well as a brief history and/or description of each one. From the capsule we could see Marina Bay Sands, the Esplanade, and Marina Square, as well as Singapore River and Singapore Strait where it empties to. Dino also pointed out that the Flyer gives a great view of the Marina Bay Street Circuit of the Singapore Grand Prix.

Unlike the Ferris wheels we are used to here in the Philippines, the Singapore Flyer is not a scary or dizzying ride. The capsules are big, able to accommodate 28 passengers each, and they move slowly and do not swing. One does not get a sense of flying but of, well, just standing. It was an excellent and relaxing way to see Singapore.

Showcase
Singapore at ground level is great and all, but go up high and you begin to see what a people can do with foresight, planning, determination, and plain hard work. All the developments — buildings, resorts, hotels, theme parks, highways, bridges — that can be seen from above speak of a single-minded desire to be the best. Perhaps this is why Singapore has something of a fascination with heights: it is the best way to show the world what it has achieved.Random Posts:

• Art in search of peace
• Soil paintings
• Full disclosure
• Barefoot in Lapu-Lapu City
• Blog down!

                          

Here goes.

Filipinos are some of the most intolerant and bigoted people I know.

We routinely laugh at people who look different from us. When a black person walks into a mall, everyone looks at him and whispers, “Negro.” People laugh, and some even point. Don’t deny it. I’ve seen it too many times.

It’s even on TV. We have had personalities who became famous — in a bad way — for their color. Whitney Tyson. Redford White. Mang Tem-i from Iskul Bukol. Blakdyak. That dark-colored girl in Bubble Gang. Heck, even Vice President Jojo Binay is being called “Jojobama” not because he is a cool guy like the US president but because he is similarly colored.

And we think that’s funny. And acceptable.

This bigotry is also present in religion, and maybe even more so. Why doesn’t anyone raise a howl when newspapers cite a person’s religion in crime stories? Why are there “Muslim murderers,” or “Maranao robbers,” or “Lumad bandits”? We take these words for granted, even though they are inaccurate and disparage a religion whose followers love peace.

Most of us have expressed some form of intolerance in one way or another, or at least allowed their expression to be made, and the only reason we haven’t been booed out of Facebook and Twitter is no one has posted or tweeted about it.

That lady on the cross, her misfortune is that some person snapped a picture of her and posted it online. But we have all been guilty of something like that. Maybe not as visible, but equally disrespectful of other people’s faith or race. Luckily for us, we haven’t been caught doing it or saying it on camera.

When someone does or says something that offends us, we should first look at ourselves and see if we haven’t done or at least tolerated similar things. I think that at the very least, we should also feel indignant when other religions or races are disparaged. Imagine being in their shoes. What if tomorrow’s paper or tonights news broadcast referred to “Catholic murderers,” or “Christian hijackers,” or “Protestant rapists”?Random Posts:

• Bloggers vs reporters?
• That ‘punching incident’
• Guitar talk with Kitchie Nadal
• A Mindanaoan in Michigan

                          

The first thing I learned about Singapore was that it rains there. Quite a lot. I arrived on Tuesday evening, March 27, and as the plane landed I could see through the windows that there was a downpour outside. After the arrival rituals I was met outside the gate by our guide, Dino Maniam, and I asked him if the rain was normal, and he said, “Nothing is normal anymore.” If you believe in global warming, he added, then this is the result of it. “It used to be that it would rain in the afternoon, and then maybe late at night. Early evening rain was unusual before, but not anymore.”

Rain greets me on my arrival

But as we headed out of Changi Airport and into Harbour Front where Bay Hotel was located, the sky cleared up and it was bright again. And that was the second thing I learned about Singapore: sunset came at 7:30 p.m., about an hour later than in the Philippines. That’s because Singapore is farther west than the Philippines, and, since we’re in the same time zone, sunset comes later. “Sunrise and sunset are always the same here,” Dino said. “The sun rises at 7:30 in the morning, and it sets at 7:30 at night. All throughout the year. It never changes.” That’s because Singapore is so close to the equator, I surmised.

At the hotel I learned a third thing about Singapore. After checking in, Dino said, “I’ll meet you here at the lobby at 7:40 and we can head out to dinner.” 7:40? Not 7:45, or even 8 o’clock? Time in Singapore, I learned, is measured in smaller and more exact increments. While Filipinos reckon time by the top of the hour, or the half-hour mark, we never see it in chunks of five or ten minutes each. In Singapore, every minute is important, and I saw this in how things are scheduled. Things start at 4:20 (not 4:30), people meet at 8:10 (not 8:15), and so on and so forth. When I pointed this out to Dino, he just looked at me blankly, as if the concept of wasting even five minutes were foreign to him.

I guess that’s why it’s often said that in Singapore, everything “just works.” Trains and buses run on time, meetings start on time, your food comes on time, everyone and everything is on time. It was a refreshing departure from “Filipino time,” and I grew to like it immediately.

Hiking up Mt. Faber

The fourth thing I learned about Singapore is that while it is a highly urbanized country, almost half of its land area is filled with trees. This I found early morning the next day (Wednesday, March 28) when Bay Hotel publicist Dennis She and I went on a short hike up Mt. Faber (which is really a hill and not a mountain), just behind the hotel. I used to think that Singapore was just one big concrete jungle, but Mt. Faber proved me wrong. The hill itself was lush with greenery, and from the high vantage point I saw that the city itself was practically covered with trees.

“They’ve made a great effort to preserve the trees,” Dennis said. Indeed, the city state seems to have been laid out around the trees instead of having them cut down. Which is not to say that the layout is random; even from the limited view of Mt. Faber (the best view is from the Singapore Flyer, which I will write about in a few days), one can tell a deliberateness in developing a country that has little space to begin with. It’s magnificent how the Singapore government has melded environment and development together in a seamless whole.

Which brings me to the fifth thing I learned: the government in Singapore is very powerful, and it can literally do what it wants when it wants. I had of course known about this and, like most journalists from countries with “free media,” had been quite critical of it, but talking to citizens gave me a fresh perspective of it. They have come to accept this and have benefited from this system, and while some may grumble, on the whole it’s a system that “just works.” “Too much freedom can be bad,” our guide Dino said, and I had to agree – if a little reluctantly. Seeing the progress Singapore has made since its birth in 1965 made me contemplate on the balance that needs to be struck between freedom and discipline.

After all, the result of such epic discipline can be seen everywhere. The streets are clean, service is always efficient, everyone is on time. You can tell that this is what ultimately gave rise to the wealth Singapore now has, since the country itself does not have any natural resources to speak of. “Our strength is our people,” Dino said. “We don’t produce anything, we import everything. But our people have turned this around and made it work to our advantage.” Discipline and hard work – even if it is somewhat imposed – goes a long way in pushing a country forward, and that was the sixth thing I learned in Singapore.

Of course all this progress comes with a price, and personally I think it’s quite high for Singaporeans. The seventh thing I learned is that while Singapore may be ultra-progressive, its citizens have little time to enjoy it. “Everything here is about work,” Dino said. “Our office schedules are usually 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but often we extend it to 8. There’s a lot of pressure to perform well.” Many Singaporeans, our guide said, are practically married to their work, and they end up putting off actually getting married in the quest for more.

This doesn’t mean that Singaporeans don’t have fun, of course. Dennis (the hotel publicist), who is single, said he does go out with friends on weeknights and weekends. They work hard, but they also play hard. But he admitted that many of his generation have been putting off marriage until they are more stable, and this has actually led to a crisis of sorts because the population growth rate among Singaporeans is very low – so low that government is giving incentives for couples to have children. Singapore has also been shoring up its workforce by attracting foreigners to work there.

The eighth thing I learned – which really did not come as a surprise – was that this growing foreign workforce has a lot of Filipinos in it. In my three full days there I would inevitably encounter a fellow Pinoy. Three times at the MRT when I and Sun.Star Cebu’s Nelia Neri had to ask how to get a card or how to get our deposit refunded or where the train lines were, the people whose shoulders we tapped were Filipinos. The guy we asked about bus routes going to Orchard Road was a Filipino. There were Filipinos everywhere, and they were thriving in a country that imposes a kind of discipline they don’t experience back home.

The ninth thing I learned is that underneath all the efficiency and strictness that Singaporeans are known for, they are the same the rest of us. Talk to them and they respond politely, and they do help you out when you don’t know how to operate some of the confounded apparatuses that make life more convenient for residents. I actually made a couple of real friends there, and we have continued to communicate even after I left. Despite the sometimes bad press, Singaporeans are not stoic citizens who know nothing but work; as Asians, they share with us a zest for community life that knows no equal.

So is Singapore really a “city with no soul”? No, not by a long shot, and that’s the tenth thing I learned. Singapore makes a great effort to be everything for everyone, and you can see this in the extreme variety of tourists you meet in the tourist spots, and so sometimes its soul can get lost on a visitor. But it’s there, and there are two sources: the first is its people, who can sometimes have a facade of aloofness but are actually quite warm and welcoming. The second is its visitors: the soul of Singapore comes from the people who visit it and sometimes end up working or even living in it, those who enrich the country by their mere presence. You bring your own soul to Singapore, and you make Singapore whatever you want it to be.Random Posts:

• Barefoot in Lapu-Lapu City
• The poem: “Sanayan Lang Ang Pagpatay”
• Perspective
• That Keaggy thing
• Guitar chaos

                          

Enter the Taylor GS Mini. I won’t bore you with its specs and details, which are all available on the internet anyway, so suffice it to say it’s the one guitar that fits all four of my criteria to a T. As Taylor itself puts it, it’s a “small guitar with a big sound” – and I can attest to that fact. It’s not as small as the Baby Taylor, but then again it doesn’t suffer from the same small sound. It’s small enough to make it easy to travel with, but it plays like a full-sized guitar and even sounds better than most guitars I’ve played.

I was introduced to the GS Mini by my best friend Tito, with whom I shared dreams of owning an Ovation since we were children. Having outgrown our lust for the Ovation, we had both gone on our separate searches for THE guitar. We both went through our respective slews of guitars, but we were never really satisfied with what we had. Finally Tito discovered the GS Mini, and somehow we both knew this was IT.

I was able to try one at RJ Guitars (the official Taylor distributor in the Philippines) in Makati, and it blew me away. It had a strong, complex sound, lots of overtones, and it projected so loudly that I swore it was louder than my full-sized Ibanez dreadnought (a fact that would later be confirmed). It didn’t sound like a small guitar, and it didn’t feel like it was one fret shorter than regular scale. It was, for all intents and purposes, a full-sized guitar. Minus the full size.

I think the best thing is the cost. While people who aren’t familiar with guitar prices would balk at the price tag, it actually represents a huge discount. You wouldn’t usually be able to buy a US-made solid-top guitar for less than $1,000; the GS Mini lists at half that amount. For the first time, it’s possible to own a Taylor for $500.

Long story short, I was able to purchase a GS Mini by selling off two guitars. Now I’m happy with my guitar, and I think this is the one I will grow old with. I’ve used it at church several times with great success. The optional magnetic pickup (called the ES Go) is kinda tricky to tweak, but after playing around with it for some time I think I finally found its best settings.

I’ve already told my wife that this is the last guitar I’ll ever buy, and fortunately, the GS Mini is making it easy to stick to my word. Quite simply, I haven’t looked at another guitar since getting this one.

Random Posts:

• Soil paintings
• Compromiser?
• Perspective
• Labels
• Closer…

                          

There have been several on the market, but none of them were available in Davao City. Finally, Merrell beat everyone else to the punch and brought in the Trail Gloves through its new concept stores (at Gaisano Mall and Abreeza). The first thing I noticed was that at P4,100, the shoes were actually priced lower than in the US ($110, or about P4,715). That price was also lower than the VFFs and the other minimalist brands, making the Trail Gloves an attractive alternative.

Before getting a pair I tried on several sizes to be sure I got the right one. I’m glad I did because as it turned out, these shoes are designed to be snug around the middle of the feet (to keep them from moving about while running), and if you get the wrong size they will be tight in the wrong place. I used to have a pair of Merrells size 9, but in the Trail Gloves that was too big (it was tight at the forefoot area). I finally settled on size 8.5.

These are minimalist shoes, but to call them barefoot shoes (as Merrell markets them) is stretching it a little bit. I don’t know the thickness of the soles (and neither did the salesperson, and it’s not clear in the Merrell website), but they are certainly thicker than my VFFs’ 4 mm. Still, the Gloves do make one run and walk barefoot-style, and that’s the most important thing. Oh, and did I mention that they look great? No more stares from people weirded out either by my bare feet or my VFFs.

I walked with the Gloves for a few days before running in them, just to see how they felt. As daily shoes they’re great. They’re normal and they’re light, making them perfect for casual wear. One thing that bothered me, however, was that they were prone to letting sand and little pebbles in, and it took a while for me to realize that I should lace them all them way to the last holes, so that the shoes would fit like gloves around my feet. That way there would be no gaps around the top of the ankle for sand to get in.

I finally ran with the Gloves one night and it was quite an experience. The feel of the road (something barefooters crave) was certainly lessened, but that was made up for by the greater confidence I gained that I wouldn’t get hurt by every little pebble I step on. My toes still splayed with each step, keeping me stable and more balanced. I was apprehensive about the snugness at first, fearing that it would make my feet ache in the long run, but after just a few minutes I realized it was keeping the shoes from slipping and sliding as I ran (something I experience with my VFFs, perhaps because they are a size too big). The Gloves really did live up to the name as they fit around my feet like, well, gloves.

It was great timing that I got my Trail Gloves during the rainy season because these shoes have saved me during downpours and floods. They proved more than a match for wet conditions, and the best part is that they dried quickly. One of my complaints about the VFFs is that they’re hard to clean (can’t spin dry, can’t sun dry, etc.), but the Gloves are as tough as they come even in the wash. These shoes generally feel more durable.

I’ve run several kilometers with the Gloves and walked even more, and I can say that these are my favorite all-around shoes. The VFFs have advantages, specifically in that they are more minimal and feel more barefoot, but all things considered, I’d be wearing the Trail Gloves far more often from now on.

These are, of course, made for trail running, but I haven’t had the opportunity to hit the trails yet; suffice it to say that the roads and paths — as well as flooded streets — I’ve walked and run on the past weeks feel like trails, and so I have a pretty good idea how these shoes will perform.Random Posts:

• 220
• Carbon neutral
• Keaggy video
• Stereotyping Mindanao
• Guitarists’ gallery

                          

I just wonder if there was another way of handling the situation.

She already had the situation in control. She had already effectively stopped the demolition and ordered the demolition team to stand down. She had also given the police a dressing down for failing to impose order. When she called the sheriff, things were already at a standstill. Tense, to be sure, but a standstill nonetheless.

She was obviously not satisfied with that state of affairs because she had the sheriff called and, when he came, proceeded to hit him four times in the head. When he fled, she had her people chase him, and when he was caught, the mayor pulled his hair and held his neck in what looked like a stranglehold. All in full view not just of the people at the scene but of television cameras, which promptly broadcast the incident for the world to see.

The people of Davao City are calling it a “punching incident,” but if we are to be honest with ourselves, we would call it the way the rest of the country does: an assault. Mr. Andres was not attacking the mayor, so it was not a case of self defense. He was not at the moment demolishing structures, so the mayor was not preventing a demolition. Punching him would not have stopped the demolition because there was no demolition going on at the time.

In other words, Mayor Sara had already saved the people of Barangay Tomas Monteverde. She was already a hero. That is indisputable. But in assaulting an officer of the court, even in the heat of “righteous indignation,” she reduced her heroism to something less than honorable.

The worst part was that, while many non-Davaoeños booed her, the people of Davao City actually cheered the mayor. The Davaoeños’ comments on Facebook and Twitter say it all. They’re saying she was right in doing what she did, that Mr. Andres was some sort of villain who deserved to be punched in the head four times and chased down the street for the mayor to pull his hair and be further humiliated. But did he really deserve that? Does anyone deserve that kind of treatment? If the people’s answer is yes, then they are giving the mayor all other people in authority the right to manhandle them in the same way.

That is what the incident showed us. The people’s reaction is a tacit approval of violence as a means with which to settle disputes – an unfortunate irony since we are in Mindanao where the people have been calling for an end to fighting. Our own mayor has just delivered the message that talking is futile and that the way to settle differences is with violence.

Don’t get me wrong: I believe Mayor Sara had the best of intentions in what she did, that she was merely venting her frustration at a man who had so callously disregarded a simple and reasonable request. But if we listen carefully, we would hear various organizations already using her actions as justification for more drastic means to subvert the legal process. Some groups are already advising people to take matters into their own hands when government tries to implement legal orders on them.

This is not what we want. None of us wants to lose her as mayor, but neither do we want our children to think that it’s OK to hit someone when they’re angry, even if it’s a righteous anger. We don’t want this to define our generation, and I’m sure Mayor Sara doesn’t want this incident to define her administration.

Peace, everyone. Peace.Random Posts:

• Lovapalooza
• Photography for the Facebook generation
• Rockin’ Lupang Hinirang
• Imaging
• Magic

                          

We were in Lapu-Lapu City along with a few other journalists from various places in the country to witness the two-night Kadaugan sa Mactan Street Party, a new festival celebrating the victory of Lapu-Lapu over Ferdinand Magellan. It’s an offshoot of the Kadaugan sa Mactan, a commemoration of the epic event that has been celebrated for 10 years now. For two nights on April 29 and 30, half of the M.L. Quezon National Highway was closed for various activities, including a fun run and a Brazilian-inspired street dancing parade.

During the day our hosts from the city government took us to some of the tourist spots in Lapu-Lapu City and enjoyed some activities we never thought we’d experience. Parasailing was definitely the high point, both literally and figuratively, but it certainly wasn’t the only highlight of our trip. From the moment we touched down at the Mactan International Airport we were on a whirlwind of activities. At the end of our three-day stay we felt we had been there for more than a week, which made our parasailing adventure that much more meaningful.

For a few minutes my wife and I were all alone. We talked a little, pointing out places we could recognize, marvelling at the beauty of Mactan Island on which Lapu-Lapu City stands. But mostly we were quiet, taking it all in and amazed that we were actually floating up in the air.

Truth be told, parasailing consists of little more than sitting down; unlike Ferris wheels or roller coasters, there is no negative G to make it unpleasant, and any discomfort comes from an overworking brain that imagines all sorts of things that can go wrong. But it was still a high-inducing experience; after all, we were hundreds of feet in the air with nothing to support us but a cable, some straps, and a large piece of fabric. And all that clean air could only do us good.

Back at our hotel room that night, my wife and I still couldn’t believe what we had just done. We found ourselves repeating one word over and over, and it summed up how we felt not just about our adventure in the air but about our whole stay in Lapu-Lapu City: Unbelievable!Random Posts:

• Flooded
• Where’s the lapu-lapu?
• 20 years in Davao
• Vibes
• More tricks

                          

Lapu-Lapu – the city, not the hero – was celebrating its first Kadaugan sa Mactan Street Party and April 29 and 30, and among the activities was the Funrun4Japan, a night run that aimed to raise money for earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan. My wife and I ran three kilometers in our trusty Vibram Fivefingers (VFFs), but near the finish line, about 800 meters away, I and our young friend Ralph Gonzales (who was running in Sanuks!) ditched our shoes and ran the rest of the way barefoot.

A large crowd waits at the starting line

The road outside the Lapu-Lapu City Hall where the starting line was located was a little too gravelly to go barefoot, but once we were on the M.L. Quezon National Highway the asphalt road was relatively smooth and gravel-free. Ralph and I had earlier talked about running barefoot all the way, but I kinda forgot and we ended up shod for the first two kilometers or so. When we were about 800 meters from City Hall Ralph reminded me of our agreement, so we stopped for a while and took off our shoes.

I did not see anyone else shoeless that night, although I know for a fact that there are quite a number of barefoot runners in Cebu. There were some VFF users and also some wearing Kai running sandals (similar to huaraches and made by a Cebuano), but no one was barefoot. So when I took off my VFFs I think I stood out a little too much and got more than my usual share of stares and pointed fingers from an incredulous audience.

Running shoeless

The fun run attracted a total of 649 runners, among them councilor Harry Radaza who is one of the driving forces of the Kadaugan sa Mactan, the main festival of which the Funrun4Japan was part. Unlike other runs, there were no prizes, no singlets, no race bibs: all the proceeds would be given to victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. There was also no set registration fee: runners were asked to give any amount they wanted. In the end the event raised a total of P27,015. Not bad for an event that was promoted only on Facebook.

My only problem about going barefoot in the Funrun4Japan was that I forgot the gravelly road outside City Hall where the finish line was also located, and since my foot calluses hadn’t formed thick enough yet, I had a hard time negotiating the pebbles that littered the area. But I still made it to the finish line, and in pretty good time, too, considering that my wife and I were on “picture-taking mode” for much of the run.

At the finish line with Ralph, a.k.a. Roji

If you think I’m crazy for running barefoot on solid asphalt, then think of yourself running when you were a young child. It is the most natural thing in the world, and it is one of the best and easiest ways to feel like a child again. You don’t feel like you’re running; you feel like you’re playing.

(Photos by Dadai Joaquin)Random Posts:

• What others say about me
• Julianne
• Barefooting
• Comment!
• Peacebuilders Community speaks on the Maguindanao massacre

                          

As my wife Dadai and I ran we couldn’t help looking back to see the lovely sight of more than 2,000 lights dancing along the highway. We had decided before the race that we would take it easy and that we would pause to enjoy what would surely be a surreal scene. I brought my trusty Lumix and stopped several times to prop it on a car, a road sign, and a tree to stabilize it for the slow shutter speed shots that I had been planning to do to capture streaks of light as the runners glided by.

The Davao City run last April 16 was only the second Energizer Night Race in the country, the first having been in Cebu City in July last year. A third is scheduled in Dagupan on May 21. Since 2007, the race has been held in Argentina, South Korea, South Africa, Malaysia, and this month in Singapore.

“The overwhelming response of last year’s Energizer Night Race has pushed us to hold it in more key cities nationwide,” Energizer brand manager Joan Mendoza told reporters at a press conference a few hours before the race. Aside from the usual singlet, each runner was given an Energizer headlight with three AAA batteries. At a retail price of P499, that alone was worth more than the P450 registration.

The Energizer Night Race was only my second group (or “fun”) run and Dadai’s first, although I had been running for almost a year and she for a few months. We felt we were in our element, however, because we do our runs at night. But having those headlamps was a welcome bonus because it allowed us to see the road and exactly what we were stepping on – an important consideration when you use minimalist footwear (in our case, Vibram Fivefingers) and need to avoid sharp objects that could tear through the thin soles.

Ready to run. Note the matching VFFs (Photo shot by Luke Schroeder)

Dadai was apprehensive about her first run, but all fears were forgotten once we hit the road. The joy of running with thousands of other enthusiasts was overwhelming, and the excitement, to borrow from the iconic Energizer bunny, kept us going and going and going and going…

Mounting a night run is difficult, but Energizer certainly had its work cut out for it. As the maker not just of batteries but also of all sorts of portable lighting systems, Energizer has the advantage of knowing just what is needed for a successful run under dark conditions. And if the 2,600-odd runners are any indication, then this run was a success indeed: we literally lit up the road as we sprinted, jogged, or walked the 3-, 5-, and 10-kilometer distances.

And with a battery life of 50 hours (plus LED bulbs that never wear out), the headlamps we got in our race kits can be of use even after the race. “With the use of Energizer headlights and the unstoppable power of our Energizer batteries, Filipinos can now enjoy running safely at night without ever worrying about running out of power,” Mendoza said.

The Energizer headlight features two bright NICHIA white LED bulbs and one red LED bulb for night vision in a lens that swivels 170 degrees to prevent neck strain. It has an ergonomic head unit with elastic strap for maximum comfort.

Safety was of prime importance, and so aside from the headlamps, Energizer and its partner, GMA5 Davao, tapped a large number of staff and volunteers to provide security, direct the runners, stop traffic, give out water, and do a hundred other details that the runners were not even aware of.

The result was a largely hassle-free run, save for the occasional motorcycle-riding camera crew that tried to weave through the runners to take position for their footage. The ones who were truly hassled were the motorists since traffic was stopped along the route to make way for the runners. “This is why other night runs are usually held late, like 10 p.m.,” Dadai observed.

The run was participated in by Kapuso stars Will Devaughn, Michelle Madrigal, Ervic Vijandre, Kylie Padilla, Daniel Matsunaga, and Nadine Samonte. The race was also capped by a concert by Kamikazee, who gave the runners a rousing performance worthy of all the adrenaline that was still hanging heavy in the air after the race.

The event did not just promote fitness and health but, more importantly, also supported the National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week in July. Proceeds of the run will be donated to hearing-impaired children in Davao (and Dagupan for the race there) through the GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc. Paul Rainier Uy, Energizer’s district sales manager for Mindanao, said the Davao race raised P130,000 for the Foundation, and more will be coming from the Dagupan run.

Mendoza said Energizer Philippines “recognizes and promotes hearing as vital for the normal learning process and full integration of these children into productive society. We hope to empower these hearing-impaired children with the tools required for such growth and have a real chance to enjoy life to the fullest.”

Mr. Energizer and the runners at the starting line

Unfortunately, Energizer is not planning on repeating the race in Davao City – at least not in the near future – because the company wants to bring it to as many key cities as possible. Nonetheless, it was a great experience for the city, and we can certainly keep our fingers crossed that the event would swing by here sooner than later.

Postscript: Dadai and I finished the run in a little more than 46 minutes – not bad for her first race, considering that we were stopping periodically to take pictures, take in the moment, and simply enjoy being together.Random Posts:

• Julianne, Soulchild
• The (red) letter
• Beach rap
• Coffee talk with Mar Roxas
• GRP Postpones Interfaith Dialogue of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM)

                          

The cousins -- Arjun, She, and Allan -- show off their brand new Chaskis

So far I’ve run with my Chaskis on sand and on concrete, and now after a week of using them I can give my initial thoughts. Here are the pros:

1. They give a real barefoot feel. Your feet are not enclosed so they’re free to flex and fold and bend without meeting any resistance. You even feel the rush of wind as you move. Not even the VFFs give this freedom.

2. The laces don’t hurt. They do dig in a little and leave some marks, but that’s all. You don’t actually feel them when you run. They don’t cause blisters or anything.

3. You can feel your toes. With nothing wrapped around them, your toes feel every step. You can feel them splay and “grasp,” which are what made me love barefoot running in the first place.

4. Despite its rather flimsy look, they’re very durable. And the laces stay on no matter how long or hard I run.

5. They offer good traction. I’ve never slipped while wearing them, even on smooth floors.

6. They’re easy to clean (just hose them down).

7. They dry easily when they get wet. I’ve worn them straight from being washed, and they were dry a few minutes later.

8. They look more normal than VFFs, so you can wear them throughout the day and not get stared at. In my case I can even wear them to work, but I guess I’m one of the few lucky ones who can do that

9. They’re cheaper than VFFs, especially on that half-price sale.

The cons:

1. They’re slightly heavier than the VFFs. Not by much, but enough to feel it with every step. It’s nothing serious, though; running is still a joy.

2. The soles are thicker. I don’t know the measurement, but they’re definitely not “minimalist” in this sense. I can still feel the ground more than with regular rubber shoes, but nothing beats the naked feel of VFFs. Or of actual barefoot, for that matter.

3. Sand, pebbles, and mud can get in between your feet and the insoles. It’s easy to get rid of them, though: just give the Chaskis a shake, or you could just run and wait for the foreign objects to dislodge.

4. It takes a while – and a lot of patience – to get the laces just right. You have to experiment with what works with you, but for running the traditional lacing is ideal.

5. It’s not that easy to wear them. The laces are soft so you need to hold them up when you slip into the sandals. Otherwise they just lie flat against the insoles.

6. They’re loud! The soles are made of rubberized plastic, and when they hit the ground they make an audible sound that can get distracting in a quiet setting.

I’ll be using the Chaskis more in the following weeks to see how they hold up. For now, I can safely say they’re good for running and can recommend them. In Davao City, they’re available at Chimes.Random Posts:

• Sitemap
• Barefooting
• DL4 update
• Variax Acoustic 700
• Magic