mt. ugo na!

Mt. Ugo via Kayapa, Nueva Viscaya – Itogon, Benguet
BMC 2006 Training Climb 3
AMCI Mountaineering Club, Inc.
September 8-10, 2006

my photo at hoopsandyoyo dot com

follow this link.
click next 3x.

:D

sun bathing at boracay, march 2006

i want them all !!!

hoops&yoyo backpack $24.95		hoops&yoyo school kit $12.95		hoops&yoyo shoulder bag $19.95
hoops&yoyo pencil case $7.95		hoops clip pen $2.95		hoops plushie with metal clip $8.95
A Christmas Greeting $16.50		yoyo clip pen $2.95		yoyo plushie with metal clip $8.95
hoops&yoyo Tote Bag (reversible) $25.00		plush hoops with write-on t-shirt $16.00		plush yoyo with write-on t-shirt $16.00

i hate malepunyo.

i took me a while to think for a title for this entry. got an idea from a fellow groupmate's blog. anyway, it was a hellish experience for me. from the time i went down to nampucha peak, and until we reached the wash area, i have decided to quit bmc.

we were nine in our group, five trainees and four members. my groupmates were cecil pops, mawi, jomen and ryan. our group leader was bossing, the amci president, assistant gl was loree, in our trail head was rico, and the last member was jb (my personal sweeper :D). i have to admit, i had the best group. they never left me. and i think im one of the luckiest trainees in that climb --- i have the president of amci and my bf as my sweepers. :)

we arrived at pse around 2:30 am. we had no sleep. crammed packing. then wala pang sausage mcMuffin sa mcdo! sa lahat naman ng araw. grrrr. anyway, we snoozed the whole bus ride to our jump-off at talisay batangas. at the start of the trek at ilog de lobo, i was at the middle of the group. but as the trail got harder i found myself slipping at the end of our group. the first major obstacle we faced was climbing tebebes creek falls where we used ropes to pull our own weight with our backpacks, on slippery and mossy rocks as footholds. but it wasn't that scary. there's a rope anyway, and rico was at the top of the wall ready pull us up. so before lunchtime, we are all soaking wet.

after the river, next hurdle was the nampucha trail. nampucha talaga. i can't beleive they call it a trail. was really glad i brought a trekking pole. but my knees got a real beating. my knee support was useless. and i thought that was hard. the nampucha down hill was 3x harder. it was there when i started to question myself.. bakit ko nga ba ginagagawa ito? bossing knew that i was having a hard time. at that point, he asked jb to transfer some of my load to him.

the trek was extra difficult for me. first, i am shorter than the average person. a simple step for average guy woule be a leap for me. at ang tatangkad ng kasama ko! i think pops and bossing is beyond 6 feet. jb is 5'11''. jomen is one of the tallest girls in our batch. and because of my existing knee condition, my knee angle range is limited. i cannot do squats. to make it worse, i misplaced my stabilized knee brace. so i just wore my nike basic support, na super luwag na. and of course, my phobia, my fear of heights and falling. first i hyperventilate, then i my legs freezes, then most of the time, i cry. i had countless episodes. and all of my groupmates witnessed it. kahiya. the trail seemed endless. despite of it all, we reached the campsite as a group at 4pm, 2hrs ahead of the i.t. . :) the last group with the sweepers arrived at 6-7pm.

was very tired when we reached the campsite. good thing bossing insisted on bringing good food. we had seafoods for apetizers (c/o bossing) - shrimp, crab sticks and smoked salmon. and for dinner, we had corn soup, sweet and sour pork and chicken curry. yum. i was so tired, i had no intention of joining the socials and participate in the presentation. buti na lang hindi natuloy yung presentation.. every move i make triggers muscle cramps. before 9pm, i locked myself inside the tent.

day2. wake up call was 430am. everybody was up fast. 5am, we were just about to start cooking, then it started to rain.. hard. but we just continued on, super basa nga lang. but im proud to say we had a decent breakfast. we had longganisa (pre-cooked), scrambled eggs, knorr chicken noodle soup and rice. (dapat talaga laging pre-cooked :) ).

we have no choice to break camp in the rain. basang basa lahat, and did i say it was freaking cold?!? i was shivering the whole time. anemia makes it hard for me to control my body temperature. and so much for bringing extra (dry) socks. around 7am, the group was good to go, but unfortunately the lead pack was still cleaning up. bossing instructed us to go to the lead packs' camp (para daw ma-pressure). on the way to their camp, i met some of my fellow trainees. some of them are just starting to cook breakfast. then i saw susan, she told me her shoes gave in, and she would have wear sandals for the rest of the trek. i felt sorry for her.

bossing really wants us to be in schedule and follow the i.t.. around 730am, with our raincoats on, we started the muddy and scary trek down the slippery slopes of malipunyo. according to rico this would be 20% mud trek and 80% river trek.

in about an hour of trekking, i found myself falling behind the group again. so its me, bossing and jb again. some of the trail are too vertical, slippery, and scary for me. bangin talaga. there was one time that bossing set up a support rope just for me. i was a little grumpy at that time. i was already thinking if i would still attend the basic life support training next week, -- so at least i'll be a certified "first-aider". the hell with mounteneering! but i havn't told anybody that i would quit bmc, even jb. i was also thinking on how much would i get in selling my backpack, and if there's anybody willing to buy my trekking shoes. or maybee i'll just keep them all and just organize our own "fun" climbs,, probably with frisbee friends.

the mud trek lasted for almost 3 hours (i think). and then i heard the sound of the river. i was relieved. at least we are getting closer to home. the river trek was a different challenge. no more ravines, buts lots of water and mossy rocks. water levels ranging from my ankles, to as high as 5 feet (siguro). on some parts of the river, my backpack just kept me afloat. most of the members like jb, jumps from rock to rock and avoid getting wet. as for me, i usually sit on rocks and slide myself down with the water.

after countless falls and shin bumps later, the exhaustion and pain is slowly eating my sanity. by that time i told jb that i will be quitting. syempre major support pa rin. he said im just saying that because of the situation.

the lead pack and 1st and 2nd groups were waiting for us in the first lagoon. "ang tagal nyo naman bossing, kanina pa kami dito". well that's primarily my fault. i've heard that there was a shortcut in that lagoon, and it only 2 hours away from our wash area. but we have 7 more hours of treking accourding to i.t.. i was already thinking of an excuse to use the shortcut. but i don’t think bossing will let me. i was unusually quiet at lunchtime. i was hungry but really i dont want to stop because that means prolonging my agony.

so we were one group again after the the first lagoon. i was behind ryan and jomen then. i was observing how they step so at least i have an idea on how deep the water is. i was able to keep pace with the rest of the group for some time, and then we let a small pack of members o.t.. then i started to pull away from my group again. i (that means with bossing and jb) was able to catch up with the them at the lagoon slide. it was a little scary, but i did it with little fuzz.

hours later we reached the backdive lagoon. while waiting in the queue, i though i would not have problems with it. i know how to swim anyway. i was hesitant to backdive because i wont be continuing bmc anyway. but sige fine, tumatagal pa lalo, so i agreed. i had a hard time positioning myself in that huge slippery rock. and when im on the ledge, i cant seem to move my feet. i started crying.. again.. kakahiya!! jb was actually doing a great job giving me moral support. so after a couple or so minutes,, nagawa ko din. the whole group cheered.

from the backdive lagoon, bossing said that we were only 1.5 hrs away from the wash area. it was around 4pm then. sakto lang before it gets dark. ayokong mag-night trek. so i gave my all. i slowly drifted away from the group again. i dragged my knees up every rock and cried the pain away, but still without stopping, i pushed on.

6pm, we're still in the !#*$#*@! river. it's getting dark. bossing instructed me and jb to get our headlamps. unfortunately, i didnt expect a night trek. i took jb's and my headlamp when we were packing earlier that morning and put in at the bottom of my pack. :( so kalkal. jb let me use his petzel headlamp coz my cheepo headlamp was very faint. thanks again j! 30 min had passed, i saw 2 headlamps in front of us. it was bajay and a fellow sweeper, bearers of good news. "hi claire!" he greeted me. "konti na lang..kaya mo yan". i smiled back. was really glad to see them but smile lang kaya kong gawin. i was wishing bajay would carry my backpack upto the wash area. haha. but i know im not really the one they’re waiting for. i felt sorry for the rest of the team behind us.

after 30 min, dry ground! but its not over yet. it was too dark. the trail was again too muddy, slippery and steep. adrenalin maybe, but i rarely bother bossing and jb for assistance :) it was around 7pm, i heard my groupmates cheering at the end of the trail. they said they were only 10 minutes ahead of me. bossing gave me a high five. ang bilis ko naman daw pala. :)

at the wash area, i felt all my bumps and bruises again. can barely walk. but was just happy that its over. we had arrozcaldo for dinner. the lead pack was there at 4pm. the last group with the sweepers came in around 11pm.

bajay's pics here.

must i always be waiting.. waiting for you?

its almost 8pm and im still here in the office.
jb!....d ko alam kung bakit gusto kong lumitpat dyan ha... :D joke lang.

in about 6 hours, i must be able to complete the following:

• get jb's glasses at greenbelt
• go home (i live at the other end of the metro)
• eat dinner
• prepare our lunch for tomorrow
• pack my things (yare dame!) and make sure it's water proof
• sleep (?)
• take a shower
• get back here at makati by 2am

here's our load:





saya.
bahala na si batman.

Mt. Malipunyo Itinerary

AMCI BMC 2006 – 2nd TRAINING CLIMB
MOUNTAIN – MT. MALIPUNYO
Objective of the Climb: Technical Climb
Route: Tanauan, Batangas
Nature/ Feature: Requires Technical Skills (Bouldering, Scrambling & River Trekking), Rolling Terrain & Highly Vegetated.
Training Climb Date: Aug 19-20, 2006 (2 days)

I T I N E R A R Y

the cost of mounteneering

if i have known before i joined amci that it would cost me around 20,000 pesos for this sport, i would have probably stuck with ultimate disc and just join pex for climbs. here's a rundown of what i have invested so far:

Gears - 1st climb
deuter act light 35+10 SL	6,000.00
pack cover	170.00
bladder with hose 2.5 liters	800.00
waterproofing	40.00
leggings	800.00
nike dri-fit trek shirt	200.00
malong	300.00
earthpad	300.00
socks	100.00
wisle / carabiners	100.00
Total	8,810.00
Gears - 2nd climb
columbia shoes (got it at 30% off)	2,600.00
treking pole	290.00
kernmantle rope 3 yards	120.00
compression bag	120.00
stuff sack	50.00
2 - 1 liter bladder @ 70	140.00
Total	3,320.00
Climbing Gear Total	12,130.00
Other fees
amci training fee	3,900.00
basic first aid	375.00
basic life support*	300.00
mt. lamot climb fee	600.00
mt. malipunyo climb fee	740.00
aquintance party	500.00
Total	6,415.00
GRAND TOTAL	18,545.00

*budgeted

...and im only halfway though the training! and this is excluding other expenses like groceries, transpo (wednesday night and sunday morning taxi fare), food and other supplies like gloves, batteries and duct tape. and at first i thought that trainings will eat my wednesdays and sundays only. but now its becoming a 3day a week thingi.

so i ask myself, was it worth it? well, makes me think what i have accomplished so far..

• discovered makati's park and garden and makati university exist
• rappelled ala tom cruise mission impossible style
• learned that slacks may also mean to loosen up
• won a couple's marshmallow eating contest
• ran 10km in 1hr 14 min
• learned how to read contour maps
• learned how to fold cravats
  
• transport a not-so-full-grown adult man in firemans' carry style
  

basic mounteering course fee , 6,415.00 pesos...
basic mounteering gear, 12,130.00 pesos...
making new friends, running 10km and still smile after, and taking photos of hoops&yoyo vaccum packed in zip locks up in the mountains... pricelesss. :)

How to Get Up Right Away When Your Alarm Goes Off

read the article here.

Beating yourself up about your bad wake-up habits will not work — in fact, you’ll just condition these mental beatings as part of the very routine you’re trying to change. Not only will you not get up when your alarm goes off, but you’ll also automatically beat yourself up about it. How lame is that? Do you really want to keep running that dumb pattern for the rest of your life? That’s exactly what will happen if you don’t condition a more empowering pattern. For good or ill, your habits will make or break you.

Think about it — if you oversleep just 30 minutes a day, that’s 180+ hours a year. And if you’re at 60 minutes a day, that’s 365 hours a year, the equivalent of nine 40-hour weeks. That’s a lot of time! Now I don’t know about you, but I can think of more creative things to do with that time than lying in bed longer
than I need to.

--Steve Pavlina

nampucha

i've set a new personal record today. 6.6km in 39 minutes. :P thought the buffalo wings i ate last lunch would slow me down. :D and also thought that its the mp3 player that keeps my pace. i learned that its actually the will to lose those extra pounds that keeps me blazing :D


pre-climb meeting for mt. malipunyo. im now having second thoughts on joining the climb.:/ sky, our trail master said it would take an average climber 8 hours to get there.according to the map, we will trek five peaks before we reach the campsite. yikes. and one of the mountain peak is named "nampucha". after nampucha, there’s kinabahan, naubusan. kinutuban. thou the decent will be less tiring, they said it will be very wet and even require us to back dive with our packs on and cross lagoons.



sky added that this Is the climb. too bad hoops&yoyo will not be coming with us. it would be too dangerous for them, i wont risk it. i won't be bringing my camera anyway. just hope a fellow group member will... para may evidence. :D

10 things i hate about you

I hate the way you talk to me
And the way you cut your hair.
I hate the way you drive my car.
I hate it when you stare.
I hate your big dumb combat boots
And the way you read my mind.
I hate you so much it makes me sick.
It even makes me rhyme.

I hate the way you're always right.
I hate it when you lie.
I hate it when you make me laugh;
Even worse when you make me cry.

I hate it when you're not around
And the fact that you didn't call,
But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you;
Not even close;
Not even a little bit;
Not even at all.

gorillapad

i want one!!! sinong pupuntang us? pabili naman o..

blog blog blog blog

everybody's blogging... even hoops and yoyo got one. :) lookie here.

10 km in 1hr 14min

i ran 10km today. :) the farthest i did so far.. hehe. pwedeng pwede na sumali sa addidas marathon. :D and i completed it in 1hr and 14 minutes. too bad for j., his shoes gave in at 4km. i think i was the first to finish among the girls. was really proud of myself for this feat. :D. before i started bmc, 5km was unthinkable. i’m used to running a lot,, but im a sprinter not a marathoner. our training in ultimate focuses on jumps, sprints and cutting. here, its a totally different discipline.

for the bmc lecture, we did the land navigation. was in between reality and dream state the whole time. i don't know why im so uninterested in this topic, i didn't even bother to get myself a baseplate compass. land navigation is a math problem.. in geometry.

after the lecture, our group met for the pre-climb meeting for our tc2 at mt. malipunyo (aka malapunyeta). our menu: for dinner: sweet and sour pork, chicken curry and smoked salmon. for breakfast: longganisa, eggs, soup and spanish sardines. haha.. wag sana akong "ma-major".

sidenote: mawi, my 22 year old groupmate thought that im younger than him. :D *ngiti hanggang tenga*. thanks pala mawi sa hatid!

should i?

Your Job Dissatisfaction Level is 44%

Well, you don't have the worst job in the world, but it's not great. And don't worry, you're not the problem - your company is. Start looking around for another job, even if you're not totally fed up. Because in time, you're going to be dying to quit!

Should You Quit Your Job?

amci vs. pua

i want to play ultimate!!! but that means screwing my bmc. darnit.
so lets see..

habagat league scedule:

• August 6 - bmc:land navigation lecture. would be fun learning how to use the map and compass. but i can skip this for the love of toda.
• August 13 - bmc:basic first aid. i wouldnt want to miss this. (2 day lecture,sat-sun)
• August 20 - bmc:training climb 2 - mt. malipunyo. overnight climb. (sat-sun). what am i training for?
• August 27 - bmc:basic life support. i wouldnt want to miss this either. (2 day lecture,sat-sun)
• September 3 - bmc: rockclimbing. - could be a once in a lifetime experience. hindi ba saturday ang finals ng league? pwede parin ako sa closing party if ever, gabi pa naman yun e :p

mid-year review

looking back, these past six months has been the most eventful in my life. its has been an emotional roller coaster ride. tragedy, realizations, milestones, new adventures and love. lost a father, a lot of drama, graduated at last, and found a new best friend.

thought i have enough happy moments (and pics) to do a mid-year collage...

thanks to j for the savage pic and david for the sadako bykes bar pic.

rapelling

the only rappelling experience i have is when we do wall climbing. i thought it would be easier since in wall climbing, the belayer controls my descent. but now, i would be the one in control, the belayer is just there for support and backup, just in case i forgot to hold on to the rope.

i have a phobia on heights, it's more on fear of falling actually. first i hyper-ventilate, then ussually followed by crying. j had witnessed a couple of my episodes (in daguldol and lamot). he was also quite concerned for me in this activity. hehe.

anyway, they made us do the standard rappel, the lizzard and the australian. i was almost ok with the standard rappel. took me a while to get off the ledge thou, but i was ok. but the lizzard and australian was a different story. on the bright side, i think susan and joana "out-shined" my dramatic performance. :D


btw, i showed the this photo of my <-- lizzard pose with my officemates and they noticed is how flat my abs (hindi ba kapani-paniwala?) hehe. ok sige na-stretch kasi. :P


more pics here. (mostly taken by j. post processing by cla. zoto uploading by j.,, ayan a may credits :P)