Sports

Paddleboard in the city

Studio Works

Here’s a close up of the second work, done in colored charcoal. Had to rework it today to bring out the colors and the whites but it really made me smile to see it come alive again. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just paddleboard our way to work everyday?

#lifegoals #sup #drawing #charcoal #dailycommute #paddleboard

Wakeboarding in Nuvali begins in October!

Life in Nuvali Philippines, ,

Republic Wakepark is finally opening its doors on October 26, 2011– woohoo!

Here’s the announcement from the Republic Wakepark Facebook Page:

Heads-up, guys: REPUBL1C WAKEPARK, NUVALI will officially open on OCTOBER 26th, 2011. The Philippine Wakeboard Nationals will also be on October 26th-29th at REPUBL1C WAKEPARK, NUVALI. We would like to apologize for the delay of the opening due to the delay of construction brought by the recent typhoons. We will be announcing REPUBL1C WAKEPARK’s Yearly & Monthly Rates by end of August.

Getting excited!

Dug up old photos of my first visit to the Camsur Wakeboarding Complex (CWC) in Camsur in 2008:

\"cam20sur20feb08-104\"

\"cam20sur20feb08-118\"

 

Visual updates on Nuvali

Everyday Life,

Random shots taken while driving around Nuvali last week:

\"Nuvali

Nuvali Boulevard looks like it\’s being widened with the addition of two new lanes.   Once completed, the main thoroughfare in Nuvali will have four lanes, halfway through its eight-lane promise.

The widening already stretches to as far as the gate of Santierra.  🙂

\"Nuvali

Already visible from the main Nuvali Boulevard is \”The Fields\”, a temporary site for outdoor sports,  with three football fields, two baseball fields, three volleyball courts, a bike park, and an area for remote-controlled games and kite-flying.

\"Nuvali

The whole area sits on the designated future commercial district of Nuvali, and has played host to a number of sports events since it was launched last November 2010.

I just learned that the Philippine Ultimate (Frisbee) Association is looking to hold its upcoming New Year League at Nuvali\’s The Fields.  I remember making the weekly Sunday drive from Quezon City to Alabang back when I used to play disc, and I always thought it was worth it for the wide open spaces of Alabang Country Club.  Nuvali is another 15-20 minutes from Alabang, but wowoweee, the spaces here are much much wider and much more open!

Meet the Azkals in Nuvali on Jan23

Life in Nuvali Philippines,

A must if you\’re a football fan!
\"\"

I hope I get to go– this is a great way to meet and show support for the boys of the Philippine National Football Team, who made Philippine football history during the AFF Suzuki Cup late last year:

Despite being the oldest national team in Asia, The Philippines has never had any significant success on the international stage and has never qualified for the AFC Asian Cup or the FIFA World Cup. The historical comeback of PHI National Team in the recent AFF Suzuki CUP 2010 Semi-Finals being the most defensive team in the tournament sparked an old flame to the hearts of numerous Filipinos and captured the eyes of the Football World.

(Source: azkalsunited.weebly.com)

The whole day event on January 23, Sunday, is from 10am to 5pm at the Treveia Clubhouse, but the boys will be there only from 11am to 3pm. That\’s a pretty long window to be lounging about and chitchatting, so I\’m hoping we\’ll see a few exhibition games. 🙂

\"\"

This is also an open house for Venare, so if you\’d like to check out what Nuvali has to offer, next Sunday would be a good time to do it.

Let me know if you can make it. Will probably be there before lunch til about 1pm– maybe I can give you a quick tour of Nuvali!

\”The newest and most innovative wake park in the world\” coming in Nuvali!

Everyday Life,

\"Republic
And there\’s a wave pool, woohoo!!!

Republic Wake Park Nuvali is primed as \”the newest and most innovative wake park in the world\”– and it\’ll be right in our backyard!
\"Republic

Good or bad for Nuvali residents? At least we\’ll have easy access to a world-class sports facility that other people will still have to travel to…  🙂

This is wakepark#2 for the Villafuertes, who first put up CWC or CamSur Wakeboarding Complex in Bicol. As \”the first world-class watersports complex in the Philippines and in Asia,\” CWC has definitely succeeded in putting CamSur on the global adventure sports and tourism map:

CWC aims to bring cable skiing to a whole new level and attract watersports enthusiasts from all over the world with its top of the line facilities and relaxing environment. This six (6)-hectare complex, with its 6-point cable ski system, is sure to draw guests, riders and spectators by the thousands. Because of good weather conditions, cable skiing in the park can be done all year round.

Republic Wake Park Nuvali, on the other hand, will occupy part of a 50-hectare land-water-air sports and recreation area in the southern part of Nuvali intended to encourage an active lifestyle for its residents (and pretty much to draw in the crowd). Apart from the Wake Park, it will also have a Skate Park and Wave Rider.

Coming just in time for summer, YEY!

Edit as of August 2011:  Republic Wakepark is opening its doors on October 26, 2011. Here\’s the announcement from the Republic Wakepark Facebook Page:  

Heads-up, guys: REPUBL1C WAKEPARK, NUVALI will officially open on OCTOBER 26th, 2011. The Philippine Wakeboard Nationals will also be on October 26th-29th at REPUBL1C WAKEPARK, NUVALI. We would like to apologize for the delay of the opening due to the delay of construction brought by the recent typhoons. We will be announcing REPUBL1C WAKEPARK’s Yearly & Monthly Rates by end of August.

Thanks to mach000 for posting the video link on skyscrapercity.

For those who want to make sure they\’re first to get updates, keep checking Republic Wake Park\’s website: republ1cwakepark.com and facebook group. Not much info now, but more to come for sure.

biking in the city

Sustainable Living,

\"\"
Picture from Hello Kitty Hell

Yesterday a friend told me he just bought a bike. As in a bicycle.

My immediate reaction was, “Wow, joining the bandwagon.” But thinking about it now, it does make sense, and is actually very laudable– committing to a bicycle (he said he’ll use it when he goes on quick errands, plays tennis, visits friends nearby).

Last year, biking became the new “in” thing among a group of boys I know, and I sat in amazement at their dedication to it. What started off as weekend trails in the mountains has now grown into weekday love affairs with pavement, pollution, and those stick horses on wheels (think 6-hour “expeditions” from Ortigas to the Antipolo mountains from 5pm-11pm on a workday!).

First heard about biking as an actual sport (fitness-social lifestyle) in late 2006 when I met extreme sports fanatics (note: I find wall climbing “extreme”, i.e. non-traditional, and in some real sense, dangerous) who biked in the Bicol mountains for fun. Asked if it was safe, they plainly answered, “You can die if you fall off a cliff.” Hmmmm…

In Madrid, I had a French classmate who biked almost everyday. I asked him if Madrid was a bicycle-friendly city, and if I remember right, he said it was not, at least not as much as Paris was (or was it the other way around?). In my third-world eyes, it was waaaaaaaaaaaay friendlier than Manila could ever be.

Can biking be integrated into daily life in Manila?

Back in 2004, I made plans to meet up with another good friend, Noelle, for after-dinner coffee. Her main requirement was for the venue to have something she could chain her bike to (she’s an athlete by lifestyle and was one of the three Pinays who climbed Everest). I found that endearing then, quite an unusual request, but it never occurred to me to even entertain having the “everyday biker” mindset as my own.

The last time I vividly remember riding a bike outdoors (i.e. not in the gym) was when I was 14 and eager to canvas the boys in my neighborhood. Fifteen hit and along with it that magical “student permit” to drive, so naturally, byebye bike.

I’d trust Urbano dela Cruz to come up with a real answer to the biking feasibility question. I have yet to read his take on this properly, I’m pretty sure he’s already gotten comprehensive about biking in Manila. In any case, did a quick search on his blog for “bicycle” just now. You can read his bike-related posts here.

My thoughts: We all can do our share in having “greener” lifestyles… biking is a possibility, and as my friends have shown, it’s already a possibility NOW. Personally, I can see myself biking in the greater area around my community, as long as I don’t have to cross major streets (Ortigas Ave., C-5, Katipunan). Without designated bike lanes, I’d probably just stare at cars passing by, fearing for my life on the sidewalk.

Interesting links I found on google:
– Recreational Bike route in the Philippines from bikely.com
– Manila Times editorial by Ernesto Herrera, “The not-so-lowly bicycle” (Jan. 16, 2008): with little info on Marikina’s successful bike campaign
– Philippine bicycle hunt written by a Canadian writer and art history major as instructions on how to buy a used bike in Manila (July 2007)
– Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities’ ADB Forum on Improving Pedestrian Facilities and Bikeways in Metro Manila (Sept. 2005), with issues raised/discussed and PDF files of lectures/position papers
– 11 Most bike-friendly cities in the world found through trinainmanila, who says Japanese cities should’ve made the list.

\"Share\"/

How can our recreation save the environment?

Sustainable Living

THE HARIBON FORUM:MOUNTAINEERING AND BEYOND
September 21, 2006; 6:00pm
Meralco Mini-Theater, Lopez Building, Meralco Center
Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City

Entrance fees are P20 for students and P50 for professionals/non-students.

Mountaineering is more than just climbing peaks, blazing trails, and discovering new horizons. It is more than a hobby or plain recreation.

It is a WAY OF LIFE.

Once a person officially becomes a mountaineer, he signs a pact with Mother Nature, because a True Mountaineer is a sentinel of the Environment.

Mountaineering is not just about conquering the mountains. It is a commitment to the LNT (Leave-No-Trace) ethics. It is taking that EXTRA Step to become an Environmental Advocate.

Join us as we share with you the spirit of mountaineering and beyond through the words of mountaineers who took the EXTRA STEP to become true-blue environmentalists.

Let us share with you what it is we love Beyond Mountaineering.

Be one of us and you’ll know How our Recreation Can save the Environment.

BE THERE!

We request that you confirm your attendance by contacting Vyxz Vasquez at 434-4642 or 0927-3994997 or email advocacy@haribon.org.ph

\"Share\"/