Flatline

We all have those phases when days and weeks pass, and we feel as if we just slept through it. You're not sad. Not depressed. Happy, but not on fire. Just... Flatlined.

I've been praying for a spike. Not enough is happening. The words are not even flowing as freely as before.

But tonight, it was like taking the shower early in the morning, and once the water hits you you're suddenly wide awake because you forgot to turn the heater on. The last song sung tonight:

You are my glorious prize Father
You are the passion that fills my life
My treasure of treasures
A wealth without measure to me
And you'll always be the prize of my life.

...To hear your voice, to know Your heart
Is my burning desire

The heartbeat's back.

Stiff-necked

Having a stiff neck is a very irritating feeling. Crossing the street becomes a deadlier task (it's already a deadly task in Manila) because just to make sure you don't get hit by our friendly and law-abiding jeepney drivers, you have to twist your whole torso to the left or to the right. Worse, picture-taking becomes a torturing ordeal as you try to painfully pose in "your" angle. While smiling and enduring the pain, you imagine whacking yourself on the head for sleeping in the same position the whole night.

Yet, most of us don't realize there's a worse (probably the worst) kind of stiff-neck than the physical stiff-neck -- the "spiritual" stiff-neck. We do the same things over and over again: we lie, we cheat, we steal, we live for ourselves, we live as if there are no eternal consequences to our present actions, and we refuse to be corrected. We've become so used to our way of living that we become stiff-necked people and resist any attempts to revert to how God has originally designed our lives to be.

Eventually, we'll feel the highest point of the pain. The sad part is some of us have become immune to their own vileness that it has become normal to them. And they choose to live with it. And they'll never know the peace, the joy, the satisfaction, the comfort and the real freedom that comes with living the way God has planned for lives.

Don't be stiff-necked people. Acts 7:51.

No to Dieting!

I have always been conscious of my weight. Since I was born with big bones (:D), I have to compensate by eating less (and skipping meals) so that I'll fit in the clothes I stored in the closet (because I just KNOW I'll lose weight soon. Very soon.).

Yet, I noticed that the more I deprived myself of food that I love, the more I craved. And the more that I ended up eating more portions than I should.

"Don't waste your energy striving for perishable food... Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides."

--John 6:27

This has led me to realize that depriving myself of God's Word has the same effect. I become more prone to doing things I shouldn't be doing. "Dieting" from Scripture, from prayer, from quiet time, from good soulfood, makes me crave for all the wrong things. And when I'm famished, my life enters the lull and dull phase... the dry spells... the times when I almost always go back to my favorite sins.

Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. Everyday, we have to fill our spirits with God's sustenance so we crave for the right things, so we overflow with the right love. We do not live and eat just to fit in the latest trends, but to conform to His will and ways. When it's God's Word, wala dapat diet-diet.

Eat. Pray to the One True God. Love. :)

!Hola!

Hey hey hey!

So is this site collecting dust or what?! I know I always say I'll write more often, but it never really happens. Like when I say I'll meet up with friends more often, run more often, read more often, sleep earlier more often... they never really happen (Isn't it cool when your words rhyme even though you didn't really mean it to?). Too much work, hair just got straightened (so you can't tie it up in a pony for a month... so you can't run because who runs with their hair all over their face, right?!), too much work, too many things to do... So you end up postponing important things. There's always tomorrow, next week, next month anyway, right?

Wrong.

People don't always wake up the next morning. They sometimes die in their sleep.

People can't always run (or even walk) the next day. They sometimes slip over a banana peel and break a leg.

People don't always meet up with dear family and friends on a whim. They sometimes migrate to a different country (or worse, they're the ones who don't wake up in the morning).

It's morbid, but it is what it is.

So do what you love to do, every minute, every hour, every day. Write even when you're not emotional. Drink and eat and talk with family and friends even if your clients are hounding you like dogs. Sleep when you can, even if there's a Mara Clara marathon on TV. When you're old and sitting in a rocking chair watching the sunset while your grand children are playing in your lawn, you'll know you did the right thing by prioritizing the things and people you love most over the things you just like.

Injured

Six months after I joined the running bandwagon, I finally get my first taste of real injury. Literally after finishing the 10k of Takbo.ph Runfest 2010, I felt pain on my right foot. I thought they were just the normal cramps, so I drank as much Gatorade and Powerade as my stomach can consume (and really felt bloated after). At home, I did the first-aid treatment my personal doctor (a.k.a. Franco Cortez) recommended, which was to roll my foot over a bottle of ice. However, the pain really didn't go away. It was soooo hard to walk. I was walking on tip-toe on my right foot for a few days. Getting up in the morning was a challenge, too, since my right foot was sooo stiff and painful. But, I still didn't learn my lesson. One week after Takbo.ph, I ran again for 10k at the Rexona Run. Hay nako! 2km into the race, I couldn't run anymore.

I finally had my foot checked up by a rehab doctor, and it felt like going into the Principal's office. Doc literally scolded me for running 10k without training and running 10k again on an injury. She said I had to respect the pain. Scary si Doc.. Principal's office talaga.

Turns out, I have plantar fasciitis on my right foot. My leg and foot muscles weren't strong enough to handle the distance I ran. I'm currently going through a series of physical therapy to help relieve the pain so I could get back to running. Doctor's recommendation: no running for two whole weeks while on PT. :( My PT also mentioned to avoid using flat shoes all the time, especially those without arch support. Walking in heels actually helps relieve the pain from plantar fasciitis (but gives you a different kind of pain on your toes hahaha). She noticed that my arch "falls" when my foot is flat on the ground (in other words: I seem to have an arch when my foot is off the ground, but it becomes flat when it's on the ground). Thus, as much as possible, I have to wear shoes that support my "fallen" arch.

Lesson learned, therefore, is to train properly for each running event. Especially when you're running the longer distances. You can probably handle the endurance required for the distance, but your muscles will suffer and will be very prone to injury.

Looking at the bright side, however, I got an excuse for my most recent purchase. I got FitFlops! I think that was what my PT was subtly telling me... HAHAHA :D Check this out:

The common flip-flop actually accentuates pronation, the rolling in of your feet which causes fatigue and biomechanical stress in your feet and lower legs. This can lead to overuse injuries like plantar fasciitis and posterior tibial tendonitis which are commonly known as "arch fatigue" or "fallen arches".

The "FitFlop" is engineered much like a "barefoot technology" shoe. It makes the muscles that stabilize the foot work harder, and over a period of time can actually strengthen your feet. FitFlops have a thick midsole, which encourages wearers to use feet and leg muscles more efficiently while walking. Research conducted by the manufacturer has shown that this thick midsole works the gluteals, hamstrings, thighs, and calf muscles more.

Talk about effective marketing! HAHA :) These sandals are not cheap at all, so they better work like what they advertised.

Stay safe everyone! :)

WHOA

I MISS WRITING!!!!

It has been an eternity since I tapped sense here in my blog! Even though I'm proud to say a lot has happened in the last few months, it's kind of sad that I wasn't able to document it for future entertainment. And now that I'm home alone, sick and nursing an injury (more on that later), well, maybe it's time to wipe away the dust and the cobwebs and get back to usual business. :p

Only a handful of people probably know this blog exists, and probably only my closest friends (are forced to) read what I have to say, but I've proven that there's always a nice fuzzy feeling every time you read pieces of your mind (especially those you wrote ages ago). You realize how much you've grown (or how you're still stuck in the same place), how much things have changed (or how they still seem the same), and how silly the things you thought would tear your world apart (or how they really tore your world apart).

Reading and Writing have always been my avenue of escape from the craziness of the world. In fact, they're also my best subjects when I was in Grade School! :) This time, I hope I get the time (and the discipline) to update my space and do what I'm really good at.. read and write :)

Sikat

It's not everyday that I get featured at one of the country's top blogs, so I guess I have bragging rights for appearing in OAP :)


My entry didn't make it to top 3, so I didn't win a moleskin. I'll just have to try again next time. And do a mega-pose at Mt. Pulag.