Back again

It's been months since I last posted. I never even followed-up my "best of the 90's albums" post. I can list a couple of reasons for the neglect:

1. I tore the ACL on my left knee and had surgery to reconstruct it. I spent 2 months on crutches and 6 months under physical therapy. This ended any marathon plans for 2008. This is not really a good reason for not being able to blog. Most people will use this idle time to blog but then again, I am not like most people.
   
2. We were planning for a wedding. This happened last dec. 23. Wedding planning is like training for marathan with the end result result mostly in the hands of other people.
   
3. Nothing worthwhile to blog about. I'm not a microblogger or have feelings of "angst" to push me to blog.
   

Neglecting my blogging does give me enough material at hand to successively post entries (not that I'm really going to do it).

I'm obviously rationalizing my neglect in an effort to exorcise my i-didn't-do-it-so-i-feel-weird feelings. Blogging is not a strong compulsion (yet) but it has enough gravity to be associated with "neglect".

We'll see if this post gets a follow-up. Maybe being newly married will change my blogging habits.

Best albums of the 1990's (part 1)

I realized that I've amassed quite a collection of music in my 23 year audiophile life (I got my first Walkman in 1st grade).

With that thought I decided to do a "Best Of" entry to compartmentalize my musings on what I consider "good music." This is all a matter of personal taste. Those who know me well are aware that "personal taste" equals "absolute truth" in my world so try not to flame me. In any case, I hope that you will find an album here that you missed out on and give it a play on the old cassette player. I believe we call them mp3 players nowadays.

Here we go. My top 10 best albums of the 1990's in no particular order. I'll break them up to entries of two each.
Note that I won't include any "Best Of" albums here.

Ace of Base - Happy Nation (US Version)


I discovered this album a couple of weeks before it charted internationally. It has 3 versions. I found the re-released European version with the all-too-ubiquitous single "The Sign" in it.
What drew me to it? The sound
was fresh. Reggae fused with Swedish pop sensibility and sprinkled with techno. This was ABBA on Ecstasy!

Incidentally, it wasn't the
hit singles that I gravitated toward but more to the "techno tracks" such as "Waiting for Magic" and "Dancer in a Daydream".

Ace of Base is once again active but less one member, namely Malin Berggren. She was the main face and voice of the band
in the 90s. Personally, with her voice out of the mix, this Ace of Base comeback will lead nowhere.

Give this album a listen. Not just the tracks that every 30-ish person knows but also the ones in between.
Fillers you might call them but they certainly played the role well. This album wasn't once the best-selling debut
album of all time for nothing.

Listen to: Living in Danger, Waiting for Magic, Dancer in a Daydream and yes, do indulge in your secret love for "The Sign". I won't tell a soul.

Best listened to: When driving

Watch: Living in Danger live at the 1994 MTV Europe Music Awards.



U2 - Achtung Baby



"Awesome album cover...what artist?" I asked the saleslady at my local department store(Manuela 2). She grabbed the album and read the spine, "Uz... eh..." she said, "no... it's U2". (translated from Filipino).

U2 with a new album? This was news to me. Remember this was the early 90's. It was before public Internet so information was scarce. Heck, it was U2 so I plopped 100 pesos($4 then) for it and took my find home. Put the tape in my bulky Mega-Bass Sony player and listened.

"WTF???"

They turned rock techno!

Sure the delayed shimmery chiming guitars where still there but what happened to the overall sound? Bono sounds possessed and is falsetto-happy. The rhythm section is more upfront in the mix. It was radical departure from their old selves. It's way different from the old-school, self-righteous, political U2, but I liked it. No... I really really liked it! My Walkman played this album so many times that i think the magnetic head has memorized it.

Listen to: The Fly, One, Mysterious Ways

Best listened to: In the shower before school or work

Watch: The Fly live from Sydney - Zoo TV Tour

R.I.P Brother Felix Masson FSC

Linking to Brother Ceci's post on brother Felix's passing.

He will be missed.

Picket

Apparently a call to picket at the xenu.net site saw a couple of folks protesting in sub-zero temps in downtown Minneapolis. I think they call it Project Chanology.

I have no axe to grind against Scientology. I just find the internet movement against the group very interesting.

Back to Baroque

Just wanted to post a performance of my favorite J. S. Bach work, the Goldberg Variations, as performed by Glenn Gould.

Along with Miles Davis' Kind of Blue album, it will always be a staple in my music player.

At the marathon's end... the start of a new journey.

Van Halen Live in Minneapolis 2007

I finally got to see my guitar hero Eddie Van Halen live!

Suffice to say, this is the loudest concert I have ever attended. Bring earplugs if you decide to watch their 2007 tour.

Compared to the Hagar-era Van Halen I watched on DVDs, the energy of a Roth show is frenetic and balls to the wall rock. No Hagar songs to be heard. It's all DLR Van Halen from the late 70's to 1984.

Eddie's guitar was spot on the whole night with a lot of old-school shredding. It was some the fastest shredding I have seem him do. I can't tell for sure but I think he was still using his Peavey guitars with the "Peavey" label taken off.

My only complaint is that the vocal mix wasn't perfect. I can barely hear DLR above the roar of the instruments. It's not a dealbreaker as I never really listened to the lyrics. I had my jaw to the floor almost the whole show and barely had enought time to headbang to the music. The sound coming out of Eddie's guitar is... IMMENSE... pure BROWN SOUND!

Awesome concert. I'd watch it again.

It's Philly this year

Great 2007 Wimbledon Finals

Finished a 5 mile morning run outside... saw the start of the Wimbledon Finals. Federer vs. Nadal.

Finished a 30 minute gym session... saw the start of the 2nd set. Wow, a first set tie-break!?! Hmmm this is going to be interesting.

Finished breakfast. Nadals wins the 2nd set. I've never seen Federer pushed this hard in the finals before. I've watched every Wimbledon finals since 1990. Federer won his first in 2003. I was onshore in Minneapolis then.

Tie-breaker again in the 3rd set! Nadal is no pushover chasing after shots that looked like winners. I am not surprised, given that the French Open is the most exhausting tournament. I am surprised that Nadal is showing excellent feel on his volleys.

Finished a quick shower and grocery. Nadals wins the 4th set 6-2! This has got to be Roger's most difficult Wimby.

Ate lunch and watched the final set at home. Roger saves himself more than once from break point down 15-40 by putting his fast serve to good use. Roger finds his 5th gear and focus. Nadal loses his nerve and the match. I'm still amazed by Federer's shot-making ability and acuracy. Federer wins with an overhead smash. Borg shows his approval.

Easily one of the best finals I've seen in recent years (but not the best match). Topping this are:
A. The epic 1996 US Open quarter-finals between Sampras and Corretja that lasted more than 4 hours.
B. Goran Ivanisevic's emotional Wimby finals win against Pat Rafter in 2001.

U.S. Open on August 27!

KG to LA?

Will these two guys be in the same golden uniform next season? Bittersweet for me if it happens.

Steve?... not Jobs nor Wozniak... but... BALLMER!!!

Steve Ballmer still cracks me up everytime I watch this commercial from way back. Probably because he reminds me of myself when caffeinated.



If you're interested in the recent history of computing, I recommend watching Triumph of the Nerds.

Marathon for 2007... choices, choices, choices...

A little bit of disappointing news via email today:

Thank you again for applying for the ING New York City Marathon 2007. I am sorry to inform you that, unfortunately, you were not selected in the random lottery drawing. I wish we could accept everyone, but we have to limit the size of the field to ensure a top-quality experience - and I hope you get to experience it yourself one day!

Anybody have suggestion for fall/winter marathon?

Tops on my list right now are:
Niagra Fall marathon - It starts in one country and ends in another. Interesting indeed.
Honolulu Marathon - It's in Hawaii!

2 spaces

I still put 2 spaces after the period in my sentences. Remnants of the typewriting age. Remember typewriters kids?

Techie bits

I've been getting a lot of my information feeds via podcasts and Google reader(RSS). CNET.com has a lot of great tech-oriented podcasts. I'm currently hooked on Buzz Out Loud. Check it out techie friends at bol.cnet.com. No, I'm not getting any money posting this.

Google Reader is a definite time-saving "lifehack" for me right now. Instead of going through all the websites I frequent and see what is new, I just fire up the reader all the updates. It's only recently that I realized that even RSS readers can eat up a lot of your time. This lifehack needs a lifehack.

Anybody seen the new iPhone commercials? Seems like stuff I can do with my Nokia N73 sans touch screen. I read it won't have 3G or EDGE (feel free to correct if I'm wrong). That's a definite deal-breaker for me. Anyone out there on the new At&T (formerly Cingular) please do let me know if it's worth the price once it comes out.

Random video post

I just have to post this great table tennis clip I found. Quite a long rally.

It's about time!!!!!

I got an offline message this morning that says it all.

russ9754: dreeee!!!! starcraft 2!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3mVMyonKU0

Finally after almost 10 years of waiting, a sequel to one of the best games ever is announced in South Korea. Don't screw this up Blizzard!!!

The Blizzard site for the game looks great.

En Taro Adun Executor! <-- Yes, I recite the dialogues every now and then.

PS3 a failure?

I'm a gamer(console and PC) hence I've decided to restart this blog with a commentary on the gaming scene.

Is the Sony PS3 a failure? Third time might not be the charm for Sony. Playstation fanboys, post your rants.

1997 - I witnessed the Playstation relagate the gaming giant, Nintendo, to 2nd place. Cartridge vs. CD - no contest there.

2001 - PS2 does it again. Nintendo falls to 3rd. Dang this machine has all the awesome games. God of War, Ico, Metal Gear, the list goes on and on.

2006 - early 2007 - Launch had more ebayers than gamers. Sales dropped off real fast. Is this the start of the fall. I say yes (for now).

Signs?
1. Sony has just announced a 60%+ drop in profits. Most of it attributed to the PS3.
2. Mr. Playstation, Ken Kutaragi, quit.
3. Metal Gear Solid 4, supposedly "the PS3 game" this year, is delayed.
4. PS3 sales are below expectations.
5. Where are the awesome games? Elder scrolls was awesome it wasn't exclusive and RPGs make up a small portion of the gaming market.

I'm excited to see what happens in the next 6 months for Sony. I don't think a price cut will happen too soon. Friends with PS3, will you only have an overpriced blue ray player?

Spring! Sprong! Sprung!

In case you haven't noticed, I like numbered lists and bullet points. Must be a remnant of my Accenture days when conciseness is next to godliness.

Shouldn't there be a PC term for bullet points? The Washington "Bullets" did change their name to Washington "Wizards." How about "wizard points?"

1. Started my new job! It's new but everything feels familiar.
2. Spring has come to Minnesoootah! Time to get in gear!. Shooting for a 21 minute 5K.
3. Bought new kicks for pick-up bball at the YMCA. Haven't bought kicks in four years. I figured I'm not much of a ball player so I don't need them as much as running shoes. I currently go through 3 pairs of running shoes a year.
4. I recently discoved googleidol . Pomme and Kelly are tops on my list. The Back Dormitory boys are ok at first but gets tired quickly. Thinking of submitting an entry.
5. I now shop for clothes with a grin on my face. No sales tax on clothes in MN!
6. Bought the paperback version of "Ultramarathon Man." He now has plans of doing 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. Possible? Too extreme. He'll come close though.
7. Metroid Prime: Hunters has been released! Got my copy and spent three hours playing it before my stylus-bearing hand cramped (uff da!) It's awesome to see a first-person shooter done this well on a portable gaming device.
8. My music itch has yet to be scratched. Planning on getting a Korg keyboard once I move in to my apartment. My goal is to at least play a Chopin piece flawlessly. It doesn't get any harder than Chopin.
9. I'm not yet over my Top Gear addiction. Currently downloading episodes from the 1990's. It was a very different show back then.
10. I'm very optimistic that Maui will get her Canadian visa this year. Nothing will make me happier than to see her again!

Later!

There and Back Again

This entry's title is not in the same mold as Middle-earth's trek diary but it does sound cool so why not use it.

So it's been four months since my last entry. What has happened since?
1. Went back home to the Philippines for a 3-week vacation.
2. Switched from coffee to tea. Chai is addicting.
3. Got a root canal and had my single wisdom tooth removed (I'm not so wise).
4. Cut back my running to 17 miles a week. I'll be hibernating for a while until March or so when I start to train for the NY marathon.
5. I'm addicted once again to comics. Been catching up with the Avengers (Ultimate), X-men (House of M) and a couple of classics such as The Watchmen, Sandman, V for Vendetta and The Killing Joke (Batman).
6. Hooked on Top Gear. More on the humor than on the cars.
7. Tax season is upon me! Filling income tax was never this complicated back home.
8. Hooked on the latest advances in the field of biology all thanks for a book called Genome by Matt Ridley.
9. Got myself a retro game for the PSP called Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max which is basically a port of Street Fighter Alpha 3 from the arcades.
10. A lot more changes on the way.

Will write more.

Chicago Marathon - Race Day Report

Absolutely Awesome!!!

A sign at the expo says it all

I finished 26.2 miles in 4 hours, 17 minutes and 20 seconds! time and splits

I didn't finish under 4 hours as planned but the experience more than made up for it! I don't know how else to describe the event. Think of the Chicago Marathon as a block party that stretches for 26 miles! The only difference is that you party during the first half and suffer (in a good runner type of way) all the way to the finish!

What was it like? Analogies are in order:
1. It's like a party without the hangover
2. It's like an eat-all-you-can buffet without the calories
3. It's like getting a paycheck without the doing work

How many ran? Oh just 40,000...

Uhm... I'm somewhere in the middle wearing a white shirt and blue shorts

Reporting...
6:30am - Parked my rental car more than a mile away from Grant Park at the Sterling Apartments at Kinzie and La Salle ($6 for the whole day - not bad). I could use the 1.5 mile walk to warmup since it was a bit cold (55 degrees F). At first I thought that it would be unwise to tire myself with a long walk but I soon realized that it was the perfect energizer. For every block I passed, I meet a runner or two walking to the marathon start. By the time I hit Michigan Avenue, I was walking with a group of no less than a 100 runners! All of them chatting excitedly, drinking coffee, comparing times and all sorts of runner talk. Some were surprised that I came alone.

Walking to the start

6:55am - We hit Grant Park. I've never seen so many people this early in the day. It took me 10 minutes to worm my way through to the starting area. Shed layers, tighten shoes, stretch, apply bodyglide, nibble on a cliff bar, drink a few gulps and presto! - I'm all set.

7:10am - I take a couple of pictures then deposit my stuff at gear check (much like a baggage depository).

7:30am - I line up at the porta-potties or portalets as they call it back home. I was warned that it would take 20 minutes or more to get to one. Shit, they were right!!!

7:50am - still in line...

7:52am - still in line...

7:53am - Ah yes! I get to piss. Success!!! I run to the starting pens.

The promised land of piss

7:55am - I spot my pace group (3:50) from the spectator area. Little did I know that there is a fence separating the runners. Crap!!! I climb over the fence (with the crowd helping me up and down).

7:57am - Made it!!! Adrenaline is flowing. I look around and everybody has their game face one. The US national anthem has just finished and everybody cheers! The atmosphere is fever pitch!

8:00am - The gun goes off! It takes my group 3 minutes to get to the start line. After that, I say a prayer and hold up a V-sign to the crowd. Here we go! left brain - Oh jeez... what am I doing here

Switching to miles...

1 to 3 miles - 9:00 pace. Slower than my planned pace as expected. I hold back. Speed kills. Crowd roars when we emerge from the tunnel going to Wacker. I decide to stick to the middle island along La Salle Avenue so the other runners will break the cold breeze. The sun shows itself for the first time.

4 to 6 miles - 9:00 pace still. I decide to hold this pace and see if I can do a negative split after the half. Getting nice and warm. I feel good. We pass a band playing as we pass Clark. Can't help but notice that the singer is a bit flat. Can't say I recognize the song they're playing but it helps me pick up the pace (I think). I pick out a runner and stick to her pace.

6 to 9 miles - 9:00 pace again. I never knew I was this consistent. Road narrows as we go through the Lincoln Park neighborhood. I have been consistently taking in Gatorade at every station. I switch to water after mile 8. I develop a catching technique where I grab the cup then spin around using the opposite foot as a pivot and continue running. It looks funny but I don't slow down as much. I get a few giggles from the aid station peeps doing this. I still feel good. I leave behind my pacer.

10 to 12 miles - First sign of trouble. My arches are starting to chafe against my socks. I then realize that I'm using new socks that are thinner and I didn't tighten my shoes enough. Crap! I decide to fix the problem after the half.

13 to 15 miles - I pass the half marker with a decent time. I find a place to tighten my shoes past all the crowd. Tying my shoelaces should be instinctive but my fingers wouldn't cooperate. Shit. I think my brain has shifted all of its processing power to my legs. I almost fall flat on my face trying to get back into the race. By mile 15 I feel my legs getting heavy. Uh oh... the suffering has started.

16 to 18 miles - Ouch ouch ouch! These three miles took soooo long. I need fuel. Contemplated grabbing somebody else's gel. Then I remembered that there is a powershots stop after the 17th mile marker. I grab 2 powershots. Took one and saved the other for later. It would serve as my stress ball until then. I found the person that paced me earlier. I see a runner stop and cry on the sidewalk. After 10 minutes I see more runners by the sidewalk stretching. I decide to walk during each aid station break after mile 17 so that I won't end up the same way. left brain - Just stop now and the pain will go away.

19 to 21 miles - More pain. Sun is out again. I look at my legs and it feels that they are detached from the rest of my body. I could feel my reserves running low. It feels like I'm running on fumes at mile 19. Luckily they start giving out bananas. A lot of 'em are brown and yucky from the heat but beggars can't be choosers. I start concentrating on finishing each mile rather than thinking about the distance left to the finish. Seeing the mile 20 marker was quite a relief. I distract my left brain with split computations. It works. Mile 21 appears miraculously fast. I was touched when a big runner in front of me on the verge of giving up was joined by his wife. She jogs alongside him and gives him a pep talk. It works. Big runner smiles and passes me.

22 to 24 miles - At this point I've given up on finishing under 4 hours. No big loss. This is a battle I need to win by finishing. No compromise. I smell warm beer. I almost downed a cup full of warm beer! Beer is good but it's crap when warm. We pass through China Town. It is loud. Too loud. Drums and gongs going off. I smell chinese food. left brain - Stop and grab some dimsum - right brain - SHUT UP!!!

25 miles to the finish - I close my eyes once past the 25 mile marker. I'm losing it. I need to dig down deep. I block out everything else and concentrate on the shoes of the runner ahead of me. Nothing else exists. Just me and them red and white shoes ahead of me. I break my trance at the 26th mile marker and attempt to see if I can spot the finish along Michigan. Nothing! Nada! Zip! The finish is not there. I then realize that the finish is not on Michigan but on Columbus! One right turn and a left will get me there. Crowd is very thick along Michigan. I let them in through my trance barrier. They get me going. We make a right turn to Roosevelt. What the f***? The bridge along Roosevelt is inclined! It's one final attempt to stop me. I desperately pump my arms to move along. I think I'm running but someone passes me doing a fast walk. Am I really just shuffling along? I don't care. We make a left. I see the finish. Legs hurt. Arms hurt. Tummy hurts. Heck even my hair hurts! Oh well. I raise one finger to the crowd as a thank you, pose for the camera and cross the line.
YES!!!
DONE!!!
DID IT!!!
BEEN THERE!!!
I FINISHED A MARATHON!!!

Hey camera! Over here!

A piece of metal for 26 miles of suffering

Stuff after the race
I get my medal and heat wrap, deposit my timing chip and grab a banana and water. I follow a friend's advice and pop 2 Tylenols and do a 10 minute stretch. I get my finisher photo and walk 1.5 miles back to my car. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Lunch with myself at Singha. I order padthai and soup. All gone in 10 minutes to my server's amazement.

Chaos after the marathon

Good thing the free shirt is long-sleeved