he Man Chronicles

Procrastination is never a virtue

2008-10-31T05:29:00.000-07:00

One in seven voters still persuadable

Or just unable to make up their minds. Despite over-saturation through the media, a small percentage still do not know. Granted, many of these voters are probably educated skeptics who do not want to believe the hype, but I'm pretty sure the vast majority of these voters just don't have a clue. Sadly, the future of our country rests on the un-enthusiastic many who couldn't really care less one way or another. I don't know why the media has taken this group of people as the epitome of the contemporary American election, when they probably represent that sad American stereotype of too lazy to care, but not lazy enough to be vocal about it. More pathetic is that these very same voters are probably most likely to make an uneducated and impulsive decision once November 4 comes around. Do all of us a favor. Make up your mind or don't make it up at all.

Update: James Bond Workout, 2

2008-10-25T05:41:00.000-07:00

I have to say, this is one great workout routine. I feel stronger and muscle development is definitely going on. Protein--and lots of it--is definitely a requirement under the program though. It's running everyday and the gym five times a day, so one does get pretty drained in the end of the day. I'm relying heavily on DFAC for sustenance, but it's pretty hard during those days when all they have are fried stuff: fried chicken legs, fried fish, french fries, onion wings, etc. I'm tempted to start doing the salad option with a piece of chicken breast on the side, but salads make me puke and their chicken breasts are dried out as hell. Here's how my diet usually consists of:

Pre-Breakfast, Post-Run Shake - 4g fat, 25g protein, 7g carbs
Breakfast - 4 eggs slightly scrambled, bacon, two slices wheat bread with a teaspoon of butter and jam, a teaspoon ketchup, 400 ml chocolate milk (37g protein, 35.6g fat, 29.8g carbs)
Snack #1 - 1 apple, 1 serving protein shake, 1 ounce cashews, 1 hardboiled egg (23.5g fat, 36.6g protein, 30.2g carbs)
Lunch - Generic lunch (lots of meat, a serving of vegetables, chocolate milk, a serving of beans or chickpeas, ice cream, fruits) (49.2g fat, 57.2g protein, 86.8g carbs)
Snack #2 - 1 apple, 1 serving protein shake, 1 ounce cashews, 1 hardboiled egg (23.5g fat, 36.6g protein, 30.2g carbs)
Dinner - same as lunch (49.2g fat, 57.2g protein, 86.8g carbs)
Post-Workout Shake - 4g fat, 25g protein, 7g carbs

For a total of: 190.4g of fat, 273.2g of protein, 277.8g of carbs. That breaks down to:

My protein intake on one hand definitely has no problems. For a guy weighing 175 pounds, 277.8 grams of protein a day roughly equates to 1.6 grams of protein per pound of body weight. The problem is the carbs. It's taking up too much of my intake. However, it may not be as big a problem as I think it is: despite the presence of such things as ice cream and chocolate milk, most of the carbs are coming from healthy-carb rich foods such as fruits, vegetables and beans. Ice cream I may not give up, because that's the only thing keeping me from gonig over the edge. Chocolate milk on the other hand...I might just go from two bottles to one bottle of chocolate milk and one of low-fat milk. We'll see.

The one thing that I like about this though is it allows me 2 days of no-holds barred. Those days for me are BBQ Sundays and surf and Turf Wednesdays. I can chow-down anything I want, then back to normal days. Good for me, because those are really the only days when I even remotely consider filling up on the offerings from the DFAC.

Does Someone More Powerful Than Most Hate John McCain?

2008-10-25T02:11:00.000-07:00

McCain Volunteer admits attack was a Hoax
Obama Leads in Georgia
Joe McCain Does it Again
Bachmann in Really Big Trouble
Goalie Hurt by Palin Walkway

These headlines prove two things: either god really doesn't want another Republican administration, or the media really hates Republicans. i'm kind of torn. All I know is, it's really tough seeing this happen to one of the most principle politicians we have today. He was thrown into real Washington politics, and he definitely sank like a rock.

Update: James Bond Workout

2008-10-18T02:15:00.000-07:00

Have been following this plan for a week, and I have to say it is pretty tough. My shoulders are usually my very weakest point, and the constant emphasis on them is surely not making me a very happy man. My diet has been OK. I follow it 99% of the time. I discovered cauliflower as a good substitute to potatoes or rice for dinner. A little S&P and they're good to go. My greatest fiend remains to be sweets, but fruits are slowly taking over that. Unfortunately, fruits here tend to be pretty crappy so the motivation to eat them is definitely not there...yet, at hte very least.

I'm revamping my schedule. 5 straight days of working out isn't working. I'm going on a 2 days on 1 day off routine, which will still give me 5 workout days a week. I discover that giving myself that break every two days give me the requisite energy and rest to keep focus.

Military Life Begets Cinematic Treasures

2008-10-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

First off: iOffer, the best thing to happen to classic movies on DVD.

I bought five movies today: Theodora Goes Wild, Stranded, Magnificent Obsession, Spanish Main, and The Passionate Friends. Movies that are not on DVD and somebody either diligently recorded a 16mm copy that they had or more likely, recorded it off of TCM. Nevertheless, I'm excited to see all of them, Theodora Goes Wild specifically, since I remember enjoying it a lot when I first saw it. The most spectacular part of the story however is that the seller offered me a pretty good discount for wearing the uniform and being in the middle of the Islamic world, defending freedom as they say. (Hey, I just pitch the mail.) I know, military discounts, how novel. But never did I think that my cinephilia will be somewhat helped along by my service, despite constant derision from my colleagues of my past decision to study Film in college. Good shit, indeed.

The "Daniel Craig Workout"

2008-10-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

Oh god, here I go, doing a workout based on a celebrity's looks. I know, I don't have the kind of resources that he has: masseuse, personal trainer, spa-treatment, etc. And it's downright pathetic. But looking at his workout plan online, it is deceptively easy. The diet is strict but not being overtly so, the workout is a simple 45-minute tour of the gym with an emphasis on compound exercises, and the cardio is simple as well. I know the diet works, because I have done it before. The workout I've tried for the first time, and could vouch the effectiveness of compound exercises, and the cardio I'm bumping up (from 2-mile runs a few times a week to a 5k run everyday). His build is exactly what I'm going for, and I know what my body looks: wide shoulders, arms not too big, and mid-section not too defined. His legs are skinny (thus the omission from the photo), but he only does squats as a lower-body exercise. My quads are naturally big, and they'll get enough exercise from the running. So I'll give it a go, even if it is a little embarassing that I am indeed following fitness tips from "celeb gurus". Somebody kill me pleeeeease...

The Exercises (4 SETS, 10-20 REPS)

The Clean and Jerk
Squat

Bench Press
Pull Ups or Chin Ups

Dips

Barbell Curls

Dumbbell Lateral Raises

DIET
Breakfast: omelets with tomatoes and cheese, fruit, toast, milk
Snack: apple, yogurt, nuts
Lunch: protein, rice or beans, milk
Snack: fruit, nuts
Dinner: protein, salad or vegetables, fruit, milk, no carbs

Before bed: protein

SCHEDULE
0600-0700 PT
0700-0730 Perimeter Run (everyday)
0730-0800 Personal Hygiene, Abs
0800-0900 Breakfast

0900-1630 Work
1630-1830 Workout (M,T,Th,F,S)
1830-1900 Dinner

2000-2030 Personal Hygiene, Abs
2030-0500 Sleep

The regime is actually not very rigorious. A 5-day workout built on compound exercises is very draining and could lead to injuries. I'm also thinking about a 2-mile run in the end of that, but that's probably a good way to overtrain myself. The diet isn't very hard to follow, since DFAC offers quite a few selections other than rice, potatoes, and/or bread. And the schedule, although it looks strict, is actually the natural way things flow during this deployment (during the last 4 months, at least. Let's see what happens on the next 11 months). This is going to be for 2 months, then I'm switching to German Volume Training. It looks enticing, but it looks way too complicated. When it comes to the gym, one should never be too complicated.

Stay tuned, as they say.

2007-12-19T19:55:00.000-08:00

Love is so short, forgetting is so long. - Pablo Neruda

But once we forget...then what? Do we then become happy again, or in the process lose our capacity for knowing--experiencing, perceiving, appreciating--happiness? With the pain of separation, do we lose the feel of the small of a lover's back? With the shouts, the sweet whispers or the laughter that is the very definition of happiness? With the calloused hands, the soft lips? I'm in such a hurry to forget--looking forward to meeting other people, experiencing new things--that I cannot help but long for the small moments that made me happy (and happy to be happy), and feel the pain of realizing that they were--and are--fleeting. How can a man love if he forgets?

2007-12-18T06:56:00.001-08:00

What do you do with the pieces of a broken heart?
And how can a man like me remain in the light?
And if life is really as short as they say, then why is the night so long?

Why does life stop and end when that person appear? And why am I so happy that it does stop? And why am I so sad when it finally begins again? And why am I asking these questions? How can I go through a fifteen hundred-mile drive without my loneliness killing me?

Heroic Times

2007-10-12T02:02:00.000-07:00

"Men wanted for Hazardous Journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."

Burning the Benjamins

2007-10-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

Well, not really. I don't really have any cash to burn. But I'm supposed to have it, only that things bigger than me decided to conspire against me--credit bureaus mainly--and decided to keep from being financially stable. First task of adulthood, and I've proven myself incapable of handling the pressure. First sign of having to swallow my pride and borrow money from other people, and I have a meltdown. How do people do it? Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to it. But how do people get used to thinking about financial troubles? My situation isn't even financial trouble, just cash shortage. But it's still pretty difficult, having to go about it the first time around.

Black and Blue

2007-10-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

Like any good Filipino tonight, I watched Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao beat Marco Antonio "Baby Face Assasin" Barrera in twelve, somewhat boring rounds. After hearing about all the snipets of touching back stories the commentator like to insert to keep the interest for the fight up, I was reminded of the definitive American boxing film: not Rocky, or the snoozer Million Dollar Baby, but Hard Times (Walter Hill, 1975). In it, Hill wisely made his boxing hero a "wandering stranger." But this doesn't mean the movie is a cold, emotionless work. In fact, I think it's like a boxing slow motion sequence, where they analyze a punch and you can see blood spurt or skin ripple from the punch, elongated into a ninety-minute movie. But instead of learning stories and pitying/sympathizing boxers despite the violence of their profession, Hill derived his emotions from the fight itself. It's a great piece of work (and Hill's debut), and allows for greater appreciation of a sport so invested in having a competitor beat the living shit out of another--and having people all around them cheer them on.

Unfaithful VHS Tape

2007-10-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here I am, fixing a videotape of Peque Gallaga's Unfaithful Wife (1986) I found at a local video store. The electronic tape inside was broken, but thankfully the part that has the electronic signal wasn't itself broken. Instead, the clear part of the tape that attaches it to the take-up reel was pulled out, so all I had to do was reattach it using regular adhesive tape. It won't last long, but it certainly played well when I played it on my VCR. The movie was OK, had all of Gallaga's visual flourishes, but was not as engaging as I hoped it would be. At the very least, it was good training on how to fix VHS tapes.

Desperate Nurses: The Revenge

2007-10-05T02:34:00.000-07:00

Everybody's losing their goddamn mind. First, it was the intrepid viewers (who were dumb enough to watch the show and treat it too seriously to begin with). Then the issue went all the way up to the Philippine government demanding apology, and a community leader saying "An apology is not enough. ABC should have an episode describing that Filipino nurses and doctors are some of the best."

Sigh. It's a fucking comedy.

You see, Filipinos are great when it comes to making fun of other races, but can't take it when the joke's on them. Have you ever heard of the story of how God created the Filipino? First, he gave an angel some dough and ordered him to bake him some human beings. The first batch came out undercooked, and thus white people. The second batch came out burned, and thus blacks. The third batch came out perfectly brown, and thus Filipinos. From last I heard, Imelda bribed God for the cookie dough and is now safely kept in one of her numerous Swiss accounts under the name "Ima Dumas."

Or, if that story isn't enough, just tune into a Tagalog channel if you have one (or in my family, two) and just wait for it. You'll either find a Chinese person with a flunky accent, an actor in black face, or the myriad parodies of people from the countryside by Manilenos. It's ridiculous. The ultimate irony of course is Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago--the Philippine senator who just recently stated, in an official senate panel investigation, that the Chinese invented corruption--is now saying that the apology was not enough. I dunno if the humor of all of this just kindly escaped the people most actively seeking somebody--anybody's--head, or they really are just dumb as rocks, but I think this whole business is making a bigger buffoon of Filipinos than anything Terry Hatchett could have ever said.

To be fair though, the Philippines have something very big at stake in this whole thing, namely the credibility of the healthcare cottage industry that the country specializes in. The Philippines is one of the biggest exporter of human workers, especally in the health services, and anything that threatens this could mean a big blow to the industry. Not really to the lowly common worker, because let's admit it as hard as one may work it's all the same in the Philippines: your ass will stay poor and you know it. I think it's more on the politicians and the bigwigs making all the noise. Any downturn in the industry means less bribe money (you know, the lifeblood of Filipino politics) from companies allowed to basically suck the country dry of its most precious assets. Besides, the industry really isn't in danger of collapsing any time soon. There is such little appeal in becoming nurses abroad that the ecstatic willingness of Filipinos to clean pus, poop, and puke is an anomaly in the international market. Again, it all points to companies in the Philippiens expecting something fo their money. Well, that and politicians simply wanting to get their name known by loudmouthing as as much as they can.

Hitting the Road

2007-10-02T01:34:00.000-07:00

Well, not yet. In two weeks, I'm leaving Los Angeles for Chicago, then from Chicago I'm making a stop at Poughkeepsie (to visit some of my friends still around Vassar), NYC, Morgantown in West Virginia (to visit one of my buddies from LDAC), Memphis (just because), the finally to Ft. Sill, OK to finally start this whole Army career. It's daunting, and I'm scared shitless. Not because it's another round of butt-scraping training where NCOs get their last chance to scare the new LTs without getting in trouble. I'm scared because unlike college, this move's pretty much for real. After this, it's adulthood, real paycheck (yay!), real bills (...shit...). The days of sitting around, watching movies endlessly, and going to the gym whenever I please are over. To a large extent, I'm happy. These uneventful days are getting old. It's like college, but you don't go to parties, you don't score free liquor, and you don't go to class. And you're too old to ever feel comfortable living that college existence. No, I'm ready to leave. And 'm ready to get all the training out of the way and finally get to Germany! But still...there's something about familiarity and the comfort of living within it. How do people do it? How do they just step out and live a completely new life just like that? And why can't I do it?

The First Step...

2007-09-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

OK, this song is a little exaggerated. But acceptance being the first step, I admit: I've been eating a little too much the past few months and not running enough. I've always told myself that I don't really care how I look, as long as I'm strong. And for the most part it has been true, but lately I've realized that I don't look fit anymore...or in my world, I don't look like an officer anymore. I can probably still max the APFT, but I definitely won't look too good doing it.

I have a month to correct this situation. I'm going to have regular gym access until the 14th of October, then after that I'm going to go to the gym whenever I can until the 28th, when BOLCII begins and gym attendance recommences. I think a two-miler every morning and hitting the weights in the afternoon will do the trick, as well as 20-30 minutes doing cardio after lifting. It won't be the first time that I (miraculously) get to shape in two weeks' time. Hope I can do it just in time for BOLCII.

Arnold Teaching Girly Men How To Pump Iron

2007-09-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

Conquer

2007-09-12T07:49:00.000-07:00