112- Change is Coming

Today is a special day in the history of the Philippines. Today, the world has witnessed the installation into office of the 16th President of the Republic, President Rodrigo "Rody" Roa Duterte.
Duterte is the first Commander-in-Chief to hail from the Mindanao region, and the first, more specifically, to have been born and raised in Davao City. Mr. Duterte had previously been a Congressman, Mayor, and City Prosecutor, prior to assuming the highest post in the Philippine government.

Duterte's tenure in Davao has been much publicized for being all about progress, but "Digong", as he is affectionately known, has not been without his share of critics. People have lauded Duterte's swiftness in terms of implementing policies, and his purportedly unwavering political will, but, have sometimes scoffed at his seemingly blaise attitude towards economic and foreign policies, his adversarial stance towards the Catholic Church and the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, his inflammatory remarks towards women and those in the media, and the Davao Death Squad- a group that he is said to control towards putting lawless elements on ice- sans any mercy and sans any days in court. We definitely have a bit of a mixed bag of nuts with our incumbent Head-of-State.

I personally did not vote for Davao's favorite son, but, now that he is in power, I wish him all the best, and will show my love for the land of my birth by supporting his policies which stand to benefit the nation- especially those who lie at the fringes of society (thank you, VP Leni).

Change is coming- for better or worse. The President said it himself- it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Let's stay ready and stay vigilant.

MC

Fire in my Eyes

Is it normal to think that everything is pretty whenever you go abroad, to a place that is progressive and startlingly different from one's native land? Call it the "Fire in My Eyes" syndrome. Everything seen through the prism of the FME is shiny, new, and tastes of chocolate mixed with rhum. All is well in this part of the world.

View from a Ngong Ping 360 cable car. There's just something about Hong Kong that makes me want to keep coming back. From March 2016.

Views at sundown from the Kota Kinabalu Boardwork- Oceanus Mall Side. Nothing super spectacular about the place per se, but, the sights over the horizon more than made up for the surroundings' lack of sparkle. From May 2016. 

Here's another one from my personal collection. From April 2013. From Montecasino, Italy. 

These eyes, this mind, has a seen a lot, and craves to see even more. For all the ugliness there tends to be in this world, at least God's given us one thing to look forward to- to experience a renewed sense of beauty whenever we travel. So you see, things aren't always all that bad. 

MC

111- Discord

Being sick is frustrating. While "consolation" is good, the competitive beast in us says that second best is the exact opposite of "best". It ultimately feels like a concession for the weak.

I remember running in Hong Kong. I don't know why, but, when I try to recall how it would feel to run pain free, and sans any worries about heart or "hand", I feel annoyed. Recently, I've had to do deal with some health issues which have derailed me. I remember doing the Philippine Skyway, and running through Roxas Boulevard in Manila, with relative ease. Where the heck has all that strength gone to?

There are minor hurdles, and there are challenges larger than life. While this hasn't quite come down to life and death, it has come down to itch and scratch. That bothers me. I need to get past this quick.

MC

110- Observations

I have been to quite a few places in my time. With every trip, comes a host of things I observe about places and the people who reside in it. 

Do you notice things in similar contexts, too? These aren't based on any scientific theories or statistics. The statements below have been given life purely through "sensory perception". 

1) Singapore- How do they keep the trains so clean? My point of reference are the train stations in my country (The Philippines). Is it a matter of having a fatter budget, or, a healthy amount of will re: implementation? 

2) Amsterdam, The Netherlands- When walking through the red light district, the girls you would see in the streetside "booths" always look so excited. Are they high? Are they genuinely thrilled? Are they sex addicts themselves? I wonder. 

3) Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur- KL looks like a city on the crossroads of progress, and the old world. Some districts are awash with shopping malls and covered by Malaysia's modern train systems. Some others, have low skylines and look more like old school Kampongs. 

4) Rome, Italy- For such a beautiful city, there seem to be a lot of vagrants going around. I once got lost in Rome at night, and while I still found myself marveling at ancient buildings and cobblestone roads as I walked, I also found myself scrambling for safety after passing an alley where a bunch of junkies had decided to hang out. Superb. Stuff. 

5) Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia- Filipinos often find themselves complaining about pedestrian behavior in places like Manila, and how our government has failed us with regards to providing the proper infrastructure for ease and safety on the streets. 

Anyone who has ever lived or visited KK would know that a lot of the time, there aren't real organized pedestrian lanes around, nor are there any lights to guide commuters to and from streets. 

Sabah also does not boast of a mass rapid transit system, ergo, people need to either take taxis (which in the long run prove to be quite costly), or, go head-to-head with a bus system that is not the easiest to wrap one's head around (especially if you're a first time visitor). 

Maybe it's just me, but, something about KK's transport system could be better. 

6) Bangkok, Thailand- The streets smell of a mix of exhaust fumes and incense. Grub in food courts- superb. Is it just me, or, could we, as a people, do so much more with Philippine food centres? Anthony Bourdain once said that in the US, food courts have become synonymous with mediocre food. Not in places like Bangkok (and incidentally, Singapore). Absolutely not. 

7)  Chicago, USA- Chicago was the first city I really got to explore in the United States. During my first trip over in June of 2009, everything seemed to be bigger, and better. One of the tenets I learned about during that trip of 10 days was that, first time visitors to the States need to be reminded that bigger is NOT always better, especially for someone with a bum stomach, or, someone on a diet, for that matter. 

In Chicago did I see some of the largest plates of food known to man. 

8) Coralville, Iowa, USA- Lush cityscapes. Some parts utterly bucolic. Fresh air. Quiet. Iowa. Beautiful. 

9) Hong Kong, China- For a city teeming with so many people, it's amazing how things can remain "organized". 

10) Las Vegas, Nevada, USA- So there were topless girls on the strip, along with people who looked like druggies. From buildings carved out of gold, to nude pool parties, to Elvis, Elvis, Elvis, Las Vegas is a decadent bloke's dream. 

Always try to absorb anything, and everything, you see while on the road. You'll never know- you might find the meaning of life in a fishbowl- or, in a field full of trees and ponies. 

MC

109- Vote with your TASTEBUDS

                                   Choose among these amazing candidates. :) Malacca, 2013. 

The Philippines has just finished with electing a new set of local and national officials. The exercise has been painstaking, for sure,

Choosing what to eat can also be a challenging exercise. Just like electing the right President.

Take the menu from Cendol Jeni Basar in Malacca, Malaysia, for instance. All the entrees look so good, so delicious. All the choices look so, well, beneficial to your mind and body.

Indecision never looked so wonderful. :)

MC

108- The Borneo International Marathon

I have just recently arrived from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. My primary purpose for going there was to participate in the Borneo International Marathon. The said race was my first international run, and while the weather and course was similar what you might see in, say, Nuvali in Laguna, Philippines, the fact that it happened across the ocean from my home country made the experience extra special. It was not my best run time wise, but, I would say that finishing it ended up being one of the most satisfying running experiences in recent memory.

Honestly, the runner in me hasn't been quite at 100% in the last few weeks (ever since I fell ill for a week in April). Maybe it's been a mental battle, or a physical one, or a mix of both. Whatever the case, having finished the Borneo International Marathon represents a step in the right direction. Back into a state of utmost focus, if you will.

More on Kota Kinabalu in future entries, but for now, I'd like to continue to bask in the glow of the Sabah running sun.

Happy To Have Been There,
MC

107- The Long Fall.

Keppel Bay on a warm summer day. 2015. 

I feel lousy. I feel uninspired. 

This meandering journey of emotions on the down low must stop. 

I recently read an article on life hacks for travel addicts confined to their office desks. 

Why delay the inevitable? First off, though, what is the "inevitable"? 

Death is inevitable, and so are taxes. 

The "inevitable" may also refer to the unequivocal decay of, first, your mind, then, your spirit. 

The inevitable, as described here, is akin to falling. Imagine yourself slowly falling off of a cliff. In the moments before you get splattered across a bed of sharp rocks, or, unforgiving concrete, your entire life flashes before you. You remember everyone you've ever loved, hated, spoken with, traveled with, shared an office with, etc. You remember those closest to you, and what they might perceive off of your untimely, and gruesome, death. 

At some point, you think of the misses- and the hits. You think of the opportunities in your life lost to fear, and some others, lost to circumstance. You wonder if you had become more of a victim of coincidence, and, a perfectly controllable incident. 

You detest routine. Your body language has always spoken of it, but, you've denied yourself the privilege of following your heart. You could never mustered up the courage to give the world the finger and do what you've always really wanted to do. 

Why not drop everything and fly? Because you can't. Because there are always practical considerations behind every action, and moment of inaction. 

As you draw closer to hitting the ground, you realize that maybe, just maybe, in your moment of confusion, you had forgotten to ask the simplest of questions. 

"Why wait any longer?" 

You hit the ground anyway, and when you do, you wake up. It was all a bad dream. 

Hope. It's something you should always have. That's easier said than done, especially when everything seems as if it's bound to end with a long descent into the proverbial abyss, but then, if you don't have hope, what else can you claim to have as a weapon against the monsters of daily existence? 

Don't fall unless you fall. Never mistake falling with flight. 

Never mistake yet another opportunity at salvation with "the end". 

MC