a good one!..
the chummies received their CHUMMY shoes.
ito ang napanaginipan ko...
it was nice waking up smiling to the idea that all of us are having the same kicks.
RA and JP were not present in my dream.
who knows, it might come true.
balitaan ko kayo!
the low-profile me is part of a small circle.
but do not underestimate our circle.
the group can do wonders.
i’ll just smile for now.
ismayl!
launches for us aren’t becoming “serious” business. the group has gotten bigger (also the tables, as we prefer to be seated in one big huddle). events became our hohol and bonding time although we are all active on the group’s crazy facebook page.
plato-platuhan
halo-halo
we had a great lunch date! there were the usual sudden bursts of laughter. the blind items. we were the usual life of the party. bitin nga lang because some of us still need to go to work. some of these folks were on lunch out or on leave that day!
i have noticed that the event launches were coincidentally set on an early time. the nike event was at 11a. so the unilab run united 2 leg 3 will be a brekky or brunch event? we are not complaining but we hope not!
see you on the 27th!
ps: a week or so later, we got this gift from nike.
vip kit
***photos by jinoe, sir rene, rainier and gigi
the past few days we were hounded by an issue. what about it? well, let’s put it this way, the beginning and the end was all about a community. it just went all wrong when the issue became a personal attack to a person/group.
foul remarks were posted on the soc nets. worse, a snidey comment was made on one of our photos which gathered a lot of violent reactions, raised eyebrows and activated deadma shields from our small circle.
okay, let me make it clear that i’m NOT making a big deal out of it as this was so yesterday. we are just shaking it all off now. it was all behind us now. i’m just saying my piece here. but the issue has made an impression on the person/s involved.
lessons learned. respect begets respect. we all move on.
peace.
we are so back! the group is still here. the chummies are getting bigger and closer. we really do get along!
chummyness ad infinitum...
a number of bloggers’ nights had passed and every event is getting better and better. making kabog the last one.
tugs tugs tugs
recently, at the kaspersky carboloading dinner, we had the craziest night ever. hope i can share here all the photos, but for our eyes only.
shubiz...
let’s call this segment “tuko.” i guess this session was one of the highlights.
hugging fit mum and coach (siya ang winner!)
coach rio and kulitrunner
jaimie and coach rio (demure)
the running mom and coach
banana running and coach (all smiles!)
ang pambansang runner at ang pambansang legs (wholesome)
the best part of any bloggers’ night is the after-event. this is what we really look forward to. this is the real chummihan portion. catching up, bonding, gossiping, secret revelations and of course the endless laugh trip. now i miss the kuwentuhang pap smear.
chummy nights is not all about food, promotions and free kits. for the gang, it is more than that. it is all about the camaraderie despite our diversity. we transcend groups and running interests.
coffee with coach...
and yes, we lilly, lilly get along!
new stories to tell soon! tomorrow? see you….
(photos courtesy of hugging fit mum!)
cheating is the most hated word in the running world. but, in our little world, cheaters do exist. they are around us. they lurk on every race and ready to do their dirty deeds given the opportunity. god only knows why these people cheat. they break the rules to gain advantage of the situation – to win the prize, to finish early, to have the medal or what have them.
it is sad to hear stories of such in our community. worse is to witness the incident yourself. worst is to see the same person doing the act again and again and again.
i really don’t know what is running in the minds of these people when they are committing the act. these people can come up with any reason that they could think of once questioned about the act. they will come prepared and defensive about it but cheating is cheating. no if’s and but’s. putting one’s reputation in the line of shame and mockery in exchange of a temporary high or a piece of metal or for whatever reason they have is something unforgivable. a cheating incident can besmirch their names and ruin their running careers for good. sadly, they are being anticipated, watched and waited on every race event – running with an invisible L-mark on their foreheads.
karma will run after you!
i dnf’d…no regrets!
this race was one of my most anticipated races for the year. it had a very organized and promising bloggers night. judging by the organizer’s planning and preparation, i though this would be a one big happy race! – but it turned to be the opposite! reviewing races is not my thing and i have not done so since the 2010 edition of adidas king of the road. i never thought that there could have been any far worse than that. i am not ranting because i am looking for the value of what i paid for. i was not after a pompous gunstart, a flood of water and sports drink or grand activities. this race was a totally difference experience, sadly an unfortunate one – an epic fail! the organizers never really learn from past mistakes. what i thought of them being prepared was the total opposite on the actual race day.
i arrived at around 5a at the venue rushing thinking that i was late as i need time to prep myself and my stuff prior the 530a gun. to our surprise, a horde of people in reflectorized vests were still at the honda showroom awaiting their deployment to their respective stations.
we gathered at the start line and waited. 530 came but no gun was fired. the hosts kept on blabbing intangible words as the event stage was situated far from the start line. 545, no gun. runners were bored and making their own boisterous countdowns. 55o, no gun. at last, at exactly 6a, off we run! the heat was unforgiving, so was the humidity.
the worst situation happened at the foot of the kalayaan flyover – the water station. the short table was laid bare with just empty cups still in packaging and the unopened water containers. the runners had to fill their own cups. a chummy boy even helped in opening a container for the runners. the scene was like an oasis in the middle of the desert. lack of sportsdrinks and cold water would be forgivable but the lack of preparedness is not – and that is not too much to ask for from the organizers.
jokingly, i told the group that if it gets too hot, i will pull out of the race. the joke became reality on my way back from the kalayaan flyover. i was sweating like a beast of burden. my energy level had gone wayward and felt dehydrated. something unexpected happened, i turned green, wretched and threw up. then i DNF’d. the word dnf is not in my vocabulary, but at that point, i have to do it for my own good.
i walked back to the venue. i did not claim my medal for a race left unfinished – i did not deserve it. the event area was packed. the pocari tent was mobbed. there were long lines at the loot bag tent. there was chaos at the baggage counter. it took them 15 minutes to search for my stuff.
biases aside, i could not help but compare the event to the well-delivered races of the other organizers – big name or not. race organizers should learn from this. preparedness is the operative word here. we understand that it is hard to organize a race that would meet the expectations of runners whom some can be demanding. but i am not asking and expecting that much. i just need the basics.
their only saving grace was the singlet.
hohol with the snails over breakfast was the only happy thing that happened today.
guards, we do have gatecrasher/s here!
what is a gatecrasher? someone who gets in (to an event) without an invitation.
end of story!
we want invites!
cirque du soleil’s varekai (manila) show tickets are selling like hotcakes. it’s the most coveted show in town because cirque du soleil is a now or never thing!
the chummy society is like the famous circus of late. why? because a lot of people are trying to get in the blog cons. why? i really don’t know why they want to be in. hate to say that mostly it’s just for the free kits and freebies.
some people are inviting themselves. some are asking to be invited. some lobby to be invited. some gatecrashed. some even tampered an email thread which was downright pathetic. i hate to say that these acts are so uncalled for, and for what? free kits and freebies? fame perhaps? or just want to belong? nega-chummy much! my apologies for being harsh here – just the in-your-face truth.
we are attending these events with noble intentions. well, i can say that for myself. there is a responsibility that comes with on what you perceive as fame. it is more than attending a dinner and the free stuff that goes with it. i go to these events only to buong giliw na chumammy with my ka-chummies.
ladies and gents, wait for your turn! wait for the invite to come your way. just say a little prayer before opening your inbox – it might work.
i came in peace….
have you already heard about the chummy society? well, definitely not, because it is a group of runner-bloggers who share the same passion and writing about it.
on how to be part of the society, well don’t bother to ask me that question as you will yield no answer even if you push me over the kalayan flyover. i myself have no idea how i was invited and i do not want to find
out. what i know is that one uneventful day, i got an email and that was it. i did not invite myself to go in that event. that is inappropriate and so not me. i did not ask to be invited. i did not even lobby to be invited.
i am a nobody in the running community. i am still one of the thousands who line up during registrations. i am not a fast runner. i am not a famous blogger. but i am proud, humbled and honored to be in the company of the people who i look up to in the community – and yes we do get along! most of them are already my real ka-chummies outside the blogcons.
i’m just blessed and lucky being at the right place, the right company at the right time. timing is everything.
chumminess at its finest... 