December 04, 2011, the day of my second marathon outside the Philippines and my first road race below 15°c. I could’ve come more prepared but things don’t always happen according to plan so the goal was simple: to have fun and finish within cutoff!
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Torre de Macau (Macau Tower): one of Macau’s most prominent landmarks is part of the route. On the background is another feature of the route, Ponte de Sai Van (Sai Van Bridge). Taken near Grand Lisboa Hotel.
Merry Christmas everyone! One of the happiest seasons of the year is here, and because of this I thought of fast-forwarding this chronicle to our day at the “happiest place” on Earth, Disneyland!
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The Philippines is yet again struck by a catastrophic storm by the name of Sendong (Washi) and it was far devastating than anyone had anticipated, with death toll now reaching 957 (as of December 20, 2011) according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), majority coming from the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.
To all those who are willing and able to help, you may send your donations through:
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December 03, 2011: the day before our big race, Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon, and also our first full day in Macau. Our brains tell us we should rest, but our feet tell us otherwise so relatively early in the morning we were up for a tour.
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The Yuletide season is upon us and everyone’s expected to gain some weight, so while 2012 has yet arrive, why not commit to a New Year’s resolution that is both healthy and fun? Well, since it’s coming from me, it must be about running. 
After two years of staying home, a lot of first and seconds in my life became a reality, including my first time in China’s Special Administrative Regions (SAR) Macau and Hong Kong, and my second international marathon with the Galaxy Entertainment Maratona Internacional de Macau (Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon). Here’s the story of our departure from Manila and chilly arrival in Macau.
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It’s the weekend of international races: left is Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore-bound, right is Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon-bound
Marikina Riverbanks is included in my top five list of the best places to run in Metro Manila and little did I know that just over a kilometer from it lies a great spot to dine after a late afternoon run, Patio Vera.
One of the most interesting natural phenomena of nature is the eclipse, and all throughout my life I’ve never seen a full lunar eclipse. Today was a great chance, but for some weird reason, the weather in Quezon City where I live never cooperates whenever something grandiose is happening in the sky. I still find myself lucky though that the thick clouds that have been covering Metro Manila for several days now had some silver lining, and I was allowed a few seconds to peep through.
Lunar eclipse over Quezon City, 11:10PM December 10, 2011
* Full resolution crop of an 8MP picture taken with a Sony NEX 5N (1” 55mm f/5.6 ISO-3,200)
As a runner, nothing beats souvenirs like these:
My Finish Certificate from Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon
Watch out for my story of our adventures in Macau and our side trip to Hong Kong soon! For the mean time, congratulations to all those who also finished their respective races last weekend! 
Note: You may view your Finish Certificates at www.marathon-photos.com.
Austin-based watch company, Soleus Running, recently launched their new GPS 1.0 in the Philippine market, and with an SRP of ₱6,150 it is surely turning heads, including the competitors.
Thank you for visiting!
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