Good Evening/Good afternoon:

Well this was a fun week here in Manila. It started out celebrating the New Year (Chinese year that is) and it ended with a 10K run, relaxing morning and then the afternoon at the Spa... and then to BED. Have I told you that the bed in my hotel is a huge king size and soft yet firm, 4 huge down pillows, white crisp cotton bedding... and well this afternoon... it felt SO good just to lay down and sink into it..

Well back to New Years.. On Monday there was little celebrations around the hotel. Some buildings behind us had some fireworks and the dragon dances ... not sure they are dances but that is what it seemed like to me. Then at noon at the Shangri La the upper management gathered outside the front doors where you drive up.. the band came out... and here were our dragons.. we had 3 of them. I think there were 2 or 3 guys per dragon. We had fireworks set up along the driveway and then ... it started to mount. They also have cabbage hanging from ceiling with a red cloth.. The dragon eats the cabbage and then spits it out at the feet of the management.. not sure what that represents... but it was nice. I took some videos and will try to post them. There is one now that is posted on facebook and I will get the rest of them there too. Once the presentation was over outside, they brought them inside the lobby and continued around the huge rabbit of flowers that is still on display in the lobby. It is beautiful. But I miss the changing of the flowers on Sunday night (now). So it is just the cleaning people, security people and me... in my HUGE beautiful living room.

Work was crazy as ever but on Thursday there was a diversion and Gail (my coworker that is with me this week) and I went to the offices of the other company that is doing the same work for my company... It is an american based company vs an Indian based company which is what the company I am working with. Not sure it is much better over there.. a few things that I got in the middle of kind of scared me.. anyway. work is crazier than ever and we hear more layoffs this summer. Now I don't think this is working out, my team is short handed now and behind in so many ways.. and they want to lay off more of us. I believe they are making decisions that are comical, beyond common sense, if anyone had any caring left in them.. it is gone. So we will see about my employment this year.. but there is life after AT&T and I will have 29 years.. so I will be fine.

Now to the end of the week.. there were some folks that I work with (friends as well) that were running this road race called Run for the Dolphins. They call road races here just marathons which then they have as varying distances. So they had a 5K, 10K, 16K, 21K, and 42K distances. There were 30,000 runners approximately. A few weeks ago Mar had asked me if I wanted to run and I said of course I did. We did the 10K. So on Saturday I tried to get some rest, eat some carbs and get ready for Sunday. I had been running here this week and walking but not really enough for a race.. but I figured it was only a 10K and I could get thru it. I did get some training in but the weather here is not conducive for running. Little weather history here. February is the basically the winter here... and the coldest month of the year. Now that being said it still averages 75 and night and maybe 80 in the daytime. The humidity is less, there are more breezes, and haven't seen any rain. Now the funny part is since I have been here in Aug, Sept, Oct, and Nov... I can tell you there is a huge difference in their winter and summer. RELATIVELY, it is much cooler.. That being said, I got up on Sunday morning at 4AM. I had a little breakfast, little coffee and waited for Mar and Than to come to the hotel to meet me. A couple of things that were GREAT... The race started on the street behind my hotel. So that meant that i could walk to the starting gates, not have to fight thousands of runners for the port o potties.. and no parking woes etc. I had planned on wearing shorts and a orange tshirt that I got at the Philly ING 1/2 marathon last year. I walked outside and at 4:30 AM I could tell that it was way too warm for sleeves... I went back upstairs and changed into a singlet and then went to get started. I have never ran a race in the dark so that was interesting.. have to be careful for the road grooves / potholes etc. I also haven't ran a race outside of the US.. which was interesting... I did see a few other foreigners... but they seemed to be alone. I on the other hand had my posse of friends/coworkers/protectors. And then we were off.

I knew that I would be faster than them all, so I had my phone with me so I could find them at the finish line. I found it to be very HOT very quickly. The roads had good lights and then on the dark spots on the route the had added a lot of extra lighting so that was good. They had plenty of water stops.. also had sponges with VERY COLD water which was great. I was enjoying the race as much as one could while dying of heat exhaustion.. I slowed my pace a little .. after the first few water stops and also pouring it on my head. I thought I was going to be find.

In Manila there are too many people for this city / space / island.. one thing that they do that I haven't mentioned is that they basically ration cars on the streets by day and even in some cases by the hour of the day. So some people can't drive their cars on certain days of the week, some can't drive for instand after 7 PM at night. One of our local district managers are in that boat.. They do get a round that though.. Mar for instance can drive his car Monday, Wednesday, Friday... but not Tuesday and Thursday. So they have multiple cars and registered with the city and then their other car can be driven on Tuesday and Thursday.. Well Mar and his brother share the 2 cars and it works pretty well. One other thing they have a lot is elevated highways.. double stacked highways etc. I have never seen worse traffic in my life... EVER... ANY PLACE!!!!!! sometimes on Thursday/Friday nights during the monsoon season and if it is raining, it would take our driver an hour to drive 2 miles.

The purpose of that story is I was feeling good and then the road takes a turn (I am only following the crowd since I don't have the exact route in my knowledge base) and then we are directed up the ramp on the elevated highway. Now it is not like I haven't run hills before, but this was like a concrete man made hill... and my mind was like.. "are you kidding Me???" So I got up that and finally got my breath back.. and then I was really heated.... So I took advantage of every water stop/sponge stop. I was fine and was really looking forward to the end of this race. kind of reminded me of last years Broad Street Run.... with no hills.. Well I am coming to the end.. THEN at 8K of the 10K race, there is another ramp to run up to the elevated highway.. My thought at that moment was.. WTF???? are you kidding me???? I had to stop and walk on the flat area leading up to the ramp.. or I was just going to have a heart attack right then and there. (I also had forgotten to put my emergency info on the back of my bib #... so remembering that I thought this is NOT the place or time to have a heart attack). I got to that ramp cursing the whole way, and started.. I put my head down low so not to look at it.. keep my eye on the ground.. and just went for it.. I got to the top and just visualized the same distance to the finish as if I was on Kelly Drive. I was absolutely saturated either by sweat or the water I had dumped on me... and breathing hard.. and was just HOT.. still mind you by the way I was having the time of my life.. I was looking at the buildings running by, looking at my fellow runners in a different way than I have ever looked at fellow runners.. and was feeling elated at this opportunity. Well got close to the finish line... knew where I was since it is where I work.. This area is called The Fort. I saw the finish line up ahead and decided I need/want to sprint the last 1/2 K. I had to make up some of the time I lost on the race. I stepped up my pace. and sprinted into the end... I felt so good doing that.. Got into the finishing gate.. and then into the area of the resting. There were all kind of vendors, sponsors, media, free give aways... I was just sitting there soaked, sitting on the ground watching everyone.. I am sure that I didn't look pretty at all.. where most of them looked great.. like they were used to the weather... :)

I met up with my friends.. and everyone did pretty well since they are really not runners.. except Than.. He kind of passed out once.. and was hurting with blisters on both feet. He had to borrow shoes and not sure if he had socks on or not.. I have been trying to convince him to let me help him get some running shoes.. maybe now he will let me take him shopping.. :)

After walking around we eventually left and went over to Prashant's house. Prashant is an indian manager at the office and he lives with 4 other of the Indian managers in a 2 bedroom condo. We all got there and we ordered some take out food.. nothing healthy mind you but that fried chicken and mojo's (french fries) tasted so GOOD.. we were starving.. I didn't eat too many so I didn't feel sick afterwards. We hung around and watched tv... movies and extreme martial arts sports competitions. I needed to get back to the hotel so I could get to The Spa for my afternoon of pampering.. so Mar, Than, and Prashant all walked me up to the street to get a taxi. They are my protectors.. as well as my friends.

I got back to the hotel, just in time to meet Gail and we were off to The Spa. I had the exfoliation with sea salt scrub which was INVIGORATING to say the least, then the massage which was so good... and then facial, manicure and pedicure.. I was sleeping thru 1/2 of them.

I slauntered back to the hotel and couldn't get into that bed fast enough. Oh by the way the entire bill at the Spa for all treatments and tips came to $95.00 US dollars.

I got into bed and looked at this day and review it from beginning to end.. So many new things, new sights, new people, new experiences, extreme pampering.. racing, eating, and had a perfectly wonderful day. Again I say I am one lucky guy.

Got up at 10 PM... went and a nice dinner at this restaurant, came back and did some work, updated my paperwork, and now sitting downstairs in what I call my big living room while there are cleaning people, security people and me.

The local time here is now 4:14 AM on Monday Feb 7th. Going to try to download the videos from New Years, and the pictures from the race yesterday... the internet is spotty tonight so not sure how the videos will go... but if I don't get them on now, check back later.. I will keep trying.

So winter continues here in the tropics.. and it is brutal... This week more work, some training, some running and walking and working on next weekend's activities.. The Spa on Sunday for sure and maybe something new on Saturday.. which there will be pics of that too. We will see.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and if you get a chance to get out of your comfort zone.. TAKE IT, RUN TOWARDS it.. You will be so glad you did.. For there is so much life out in the world.. and it is worth seeing..

Oh I forgot.. Back to Manila for 3 weeks in March. I am off to Florida in April with Tim for the family reunion (please don't let me get hurt horse back riding). I also got word from my neighbor in Paris...(they have the house here in Philly across the street) and they are going to be around in May. May's trip to France for a week and Amsterdam for a week (will be staying with Carl J) ... Strong possibility back to Manila for 3 weeks in June, and then Ptown for bear week, and then off to Capetown South Africa with Tim. He has a Education conference. So my travel blog will be a buzzing..

Now.. off to the movies and pictures.. (hopefully). They wouldn't load.. so go to facebook and see them there.. there is one there now