CIHM Bonfire

“Tonight we come together united in our desire to overcome the bloody and bloodied terrains of this island.

We are gathered on this Rock – where many lives were lost from struggles of our distant past.

Tomorrow as we run through the historic ruins, as we hurdle the batteries, and as we emerge from the tunnel, we pay our respect to the heroism, courage and strength of spirit of those who blazed these trails before us.”

Special thanks to the following torch bearers and keepers of the flame:

Coach John Lozada
Tuesday Vargas “Pusta ko pag dating sa gitna patay na yan!”
Vanessa Extra-Ordinario a.k.a. “The Hot Chick in Red” a.k.a. “Brown Pasta Man Buster”
Jinoe Gavan of takbo.ph
Dingdong Biruar – runmd
Bards Bathan – banana running
Paula “Buwis Buhay”, Edward’s niece

The very efficient and supportive SCI boys led by Brian, Edward and Gener.

Coach Edward lights up a tradition.

So who’s hungry?

On the menu: mashed potato, rice, carbonara pasta, and the brown pasta a.k.a. pansit bihon. Special thanks to Jay Em of Paul Calvin’s Deli for the sausage pasta and roasted chicken. I did not get to try them Jay. The spirit of the pasta and chicken lingers in the minds of the team who missed them. Dessert was Coach Edward’s delicious Pandan Puto.

TKR – Team Kamote Runners

Green puto a.k.a. pandan puto. Coach Edward’s personal pick.

CIHM: Session Road with Tuesday Vargas

Tuesday: “Coach, pak yu and that last 3k!”

Tuesday Vargas
Bib No.: 325
Rank: 156
Time: 2:38:16

Coy Placido – Lead Guitar, Session Road
Bib No.: 324
Rank: 61
Time: 2:12:48

Hannah Romawac-Olives – Vocals/Guitar, Session Road
Bib No. 16
Rank: 148
Time: 2:36:59

CIHM: Session Road with Miro of Stonefree

After they raced in the Corregidor International Half-Marathon Session Road and Miro roked the Rock during the event’s Victory Party.

It was raining until 9pm so we started the party a little later than scheduled.

Tranvias parked beside the stage made the experience even more interesting.

 

Miro Valera
Bib No.: 228
Rank: 107
Time: 2:26:31

CIHM 99.5 RT Guesting

This morning CIHM Race Director Edward Kho and I dropped by the 99.5 RT station to promote the Corregidor International Half-Marathon.

Coincidentally, the program’s topic was on out of this world people and/or experiences.

Edward preps for the interview.

Post-interview photo op.

Sam O: Delicioso!

Guess who’s back on track?

Season 2 is coming soon!

What do you want to hear this time?

My Top 20 Running Songs

My Top 20 Running Songs
(In no particular order)

1. The Distance – Cake – 2:58

Funky bass line. It’s all about racing.

2. Pump it – Black Eyed Peas – 3:37

Fast paced riff for that burst from the starting line.

3. Master of Puppets – Metallica – 8:35

The guitar riff will blow you away!

4. Elevation – U2 – 3:37

Wooohooo! Nuff said.

5. Breed – Nirvana – 3:04

Snare flair courtesy of Dave Grohl…before there were the Foo Fighters.

6. Paint it Black – The Rolling Stones – 3:46

Used in Full Metal Jacket, The Devil’s Advocate and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

If you ain’t first, you’re last. Shake and bake!

7. Where the Streets Have No Name – U2 – 5:39

Opening for the Joshua Tree album, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #28 on its list of “100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.”

8. Sweet Emotion – Aerosmith – 3:15

Released in 1975 in the Toys in the Attic album. Feel free to guess the lyrical interpretation. The song was written by front man Steve Tyler and bassist Tom Hamilton.

Yes, Steve is Liv’s daddy.

9. Born to Run – Bruce Springstein – 4:31

Not really about running but it’s often associated with it.

“We gotta get out while we’re young, ’cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run.”

10. Highway to the Danger Zone – Kenny Loggins – 3:35

Included in the Top Gun soundtrack. This song will will either make you fly or advocate jingoism.

11. Highway Star – Deep Purple – 6:08

A single “G” guitar riff from guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and improvised lyrics from Ian Gillan resulted with this song while the band was on a tour bus going to Portsmouth in 1971.

12. Low Rider – War – 3:13

Inspired by hot rod classic cars, the song extends to a lifestyle.

It was used as Nick Cage’s song in the remake of the 1974 film Gone in 60 Seconds (2000).

13. I wanna be Sedated – The Ramones – 2:19

Punk’s not dead. One of the most popular songs of the group.

Checkout the music video featuring a young Courtney Love.

14. Golden Years – David Bowie – 4:01

Another funky tune in the list. Featured in Stephen King’s Golden Years and the late Heath Ledger’s A Knight’s Tale.

15. Satisfaction – The Rolling Stones – 3:46

Classic. The song opens and drive through with a three-note guitar riff followed by lyrics with reference to sexual intercourse and anti-commercialism.

The song gave the Stones it’s first number one hit.

16. Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz – 3:32

One of Lenny Kravitz signature songs.

17. Breathe – Prodigy – 5:35

Electronic.

18. It’s So Easy – Guns N’ Roses – 3:23

This one’s from the Appetite for Destruction album. Written by Duff Mckagan.

19. The One I Love – REM – 3:18

This is NOT a love song. In fact the lyrics are extremely violent. I like it.

20. It’s the End of the World As we Know It – REM – 4:05

Perfect for the last 2 kilometers of a full marathon. It’s the end of the world as we know it (And I feel fine)

Prepared THE Playlist

Just finished dumping music in the iPod shuffle for Sunday.

Playlist include songs from:

The Black Eyed Peas

Stone Temple Pilots

The Rolling Stones

The Ramones

Greenday

No Doubt

Bush

Metallica

Guns N’ Roses

The Prodigy

The Chemical Brothers

REM

Nirvana

Aerosmith

Smashing Pumpkins

System of the Down

Cake

Wolfgang

Third Eye Blind

U2

Bush

Dear Prudence

“Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It’s beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence won’t you come out to play”

These words played in my head as I pulled her off her case. Now she can plug in to an amp! Once I played my first song I got so excited with the brilliance of the sound. I appreciate the melody even more now as the amp just boosts every detail.

Unfortunately, there’s a slight feedback on the E string when idle. I still have to get a feedback buster from the music store and scout for a good pre-amp or a graphic or parametric equalizer.

What was installed? The Duncan|Turner Acoustice Research (D TAR) SADDUCER.

The Sadducer™ is an under-saddle-transducer for acoustic guitar that uses six discrete piezo crystals, one for each string. The result is a high-output pickup designed for even frequency response. It’s exceptional for melody players, especially those who play over the entire fingerboard. But perhaps the biggest benefit is that, unlike other piezo pickups, the Sadducer does not require a built-in or off-board preamp to boost and smooth the signal. That means no batteries required!

A normal guitar jack plugs into the Sadducer and any guitar amp. I recommend an acoustic guitar amp for the best acoustic sound.

It doubles as a guitar strap nut. So I also had the old strap nut moved on the neck. Not she can be played standing up. Excellent for gigs!

If you want to be more technical about it here are the features:

Feature	Benefit
Uses discrete piezo crystals	Better string to string balance. Increased responsiveness to the guitar top’s vibrations for great tone
High output response	No need for expensive on-board electronics to boost signal
Lower output impedance than film type transducers	No buffering preamp required, no battery required, simpler installation
Thin height profile	Allows for optimal saddle placement in bridge slot, generally without need to modify slot
Thin width profile	Accommodates both 1/8″ and 3/32″ saddles
Available in steel string and nylon string versions	Optimized for type of guitar

The men responsible: Ramon and Jenner of Audiophile Greenhills.

What’s in a name? Lucy and Prudence

Last night I thought of naming my guitars. I can’t believe that after all these years I have neglected to give them names! “Across the Universe” was playing on HBO so I realized this fact after hearing The Beatles movie soundtrack.

LUCY

She’s been with me for more than 15 years. Got her as a gift from my parents after I hit my targets in school. I love her so much I used to sleep with her in bed.  :) I picked the green color because it was similar to a Honda Accord car color I liked back then.

Just recently, to improve it, I had the volume and tone knobs fixed. I also had the action lowered and intonated.

Washburn Mercury II Series Electric Guitar

Grover Tuner Knobs
Floyd Rose Ends
Rosewood Fretboard
Two Single Coil Pickups and One Humbucker Pickup
Tremolo Bridge
One Tone, One Volume Knob

PRUDENCE

I got Prudence when I got my first bonus while working in the Supreme Court. During the lunch break, I went to a Perfect Pitch Store in Robinson’s Manila for her.

She sounded so good because of the Canadian cedar wood she was made of. I picked her over a Washburn acoustic with pickups. But last week, I decided to have a Seymour Duncan pickup installed so I can plug it in my amp. Later, I will also have a pre-amp installed.

Art & Lutherie Folk Cedar Antique Burst
Back & Sides: Wild Cherry
Neck : Silver leaf maple
Top : Cedar (Pressure Tested Solid Top)
Fingerboard & Bridge : Rosewood
Finish : Semi-Gloss Custom Varnish Finish
Tusq® nut & saddle by Graphtech

Added Seymour Duncan Pickup and Guitar Strap nut