Here in Beijing, it’s walk, walk and wok

BEIJING (Originally posted on Aug. 11, 2008)—For the past three days since we’ve arrived in China, as soon as we’ve arisen and stepped out on the bustling streets, we’ve joined the one sport that millions of people here do every minute of every day: Walk.

My wife Jasmin and I estimate no less than 8 kms. of trekking—each day. So at the rate we’re hiking (with the Great Wall looming ahead for us to climb), we’d have finished a full 42-K marathon in five days or can represent RP in the Olympic sport of Walkathon!

Last Saturday, taking a break between the Opening Ceremony and our first Olympic sport to watch (tennis), we meandered to a tourist spot with the most number of visitors: The Forbidden City. After riding the ultra-efficient bus and subway lines here, we got off at Tiananmen East and stepped out of the underground to see the red wall of this gargantuan site called the Imperial Palace.

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Amidst the blur, Beijing’s welcome is clear

Twelve months ago, the most lavish and best-prepared Olympics happened for the first time in China. In the next week or so, I’ll be re-posting my articles from those 08-08-08 Games.

BEIJING (Originally written on Aug. 8, 2008)—Yesterday, after only four hours of sleep each of the past two nights (that’s what happens when you tour a metropolis as large as Shanghai in only 36 hours), as soon as our Air China flight lifted off the Shanghai airport runway, my eyes went shut. But it didn’t take long for the stewardess to nudge me off my sleep; she brought along a present for all passengers: a Boeing 737-700 replica of the same Air China plane, with an added signage at the plane’s tail-end that’s symbolizes this country: “BEIJING 2008.”

Continue reading Amidst the blur, Beijing’s welcome is clear

With 131-pt. wreckage, CEC’s name is bruised

It was too unbelievable to be true. Far-fetched? Yes. Implausible? Yes. Beyond belief? Yes. It’s the story that was trumpeted two mornings ago by our top dailies with headlines that read: “131-PT ROUT” (Cebu Daily News), “UC Jrs. thrash CEC by 131 pts.” (The Freeman) and, from Sun.Star, “Horrible mismatch.”

Wrote Gabby Malagar of The Freeman: “The University of Cebu (UC) Junior Webmasters made league history with their 131-point massacre of the Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Dragons, 159-28, in an unbelievable outcome of the 9th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI)…

“Scoring by quarters saw the Junior Webmasters leading by a mile – 65-5, 78-11, 115-19 and 159-28 – thereby raising questions of coach Rex Salvana’s logic of pushing CEC to join the tournament in which some quarters perceived as throwing a sheep into a pack of hungry lions.

Continue reading With 131-pt. wreckage, CEC’s name is bruised

Haide Acuña

One of my favorite new blogs is Marathon Foodie. If you’re into running, this site is a must. Says the author in her “About Me” section: “I am Haide P. Acuna, a lawyer and broadcaster based in Cebu City, Philippines. I’ve been running on and off since 1996, but got seriously into running only in January 2009. The creation of this blog was inspired by The Bull Runner, Jaymie Pizzaro’s wildly popular and award-winning blog, which has become an authority on anything running. My vision is for this blog to become a place where newbie runners in Cebu can converge for helpful information about training, race schedules, race reviews, products, and practically all things relevant to running. This blog will also feature stories about runners, both veterans and novices, that will hopefully inspire runners become better at the sport.”

(Photo: Vic Kintanar)

Haide posted her first blog entry last June 28 with “Paghimugso,” and has, since then, written about every race that she’s joined (plenty). In her commentary, Haide is candid (calling the other weekend’s run, “The Great Lapu-Lapu Run Race Review Part 2: Great Expectations, Great Disappointment”). She is comprehensive and thorough. She writes on a personal, first-person level—what she sees, likes, suggests, criticizes—she pours out. I like it.

But why, you ask, the name? “I chose Marathon Foodie for a blog name because it encompasses two of the things I am truly passionate about – good food and running a marathon,” writes Haide. “I would have wanted to name this blog ‘Foodie on the Run,’ but I’ve been beaten to the punch by an American blogger based in Reading, Pennsylvania – a triathlete who loves to cook, loves to eat and competes in races in order to give her a guilt-free indulgence in all these loves. Just like Foodie on the Run, the Marathon Foodie runs because she won’t give up her ‘humba’ (Cebuano term for pork stew).”

Click on Marathon Foodie here.