Sony Waterproof Walkman Review

Photo courtesy of the Sony Store website. 

I thought a waterproof mp3 player might make my running and swimming a little less boring, so I bought myself one.

The Anatomy of Poor Swimming Form

I've long wanted to take a video of myself swimming, but never actually did for fear of getting curious stares from people in a public pool. While I was taking formal swimming lessons I have constantly received nothing but encouraging comments from my swim instructor, specifically, that my stroke and kick were okay and that endurance is the only thing I need to work with. When the lessons ended I have relied on Youtube videos to supposedly improve my form and have always thought that I do exactly as the videos say. In short, I've always thought I was a good swimmer. Then during an out-of-town trip with schoolmates at a private resort in Laguna I finally had the opportunity to take a video of myself. The pool wasn't intended for laps, of course, but is was long enough for my purpose.

For the first time, I finally know how I exactly swim - just bad.

Second Semester Challenge

Wisdom from 9gag. How profound.

Just six months ago I wrote down my goals for the first semester on a piece of paper. I intended to post the list in my desktop as a constant reminder but I misplaced it and didn't bother to make another one. The six months passed and I have now come to the bitter realization that I have achieved nothing as far as my goals are concerned.

I want this semester to be different.

Video of Taal Volcano Dayhike

While rummaging through old files I found footage of our hike in Taal Volcano. I pieced the clips together using Youtube's Video Editor which I found to be useful and intuitive. Forgive the background music, Youtube only allows the use of stock audio; you might as well just turn the volume down.

There are 101 reasons why this video is awful and I don't know why I'm even posting it here. EDIT: Because it took me an hour to make the video, haha. There are no labels except the title, and I left all but one of the original clips untrimmed.

How an Aquaphobic* Wimp Learned How to Swim

Marikina Sports Complex - one of my favorite places for training.

I never had the opportunity to learn how to swim as a child. As my trips to mountains (many of which have falls and rivers) and beaches became more frequent, I realized that my inability to swim is preventing me from enjoying my travels to the fullest. I was always that lone guy by the shore, splashing water and playing with the sand, afraid to go farther.

Youtube's Video Stabilization Feature

I just recently discovered a feature on Youtube that stabilizes shaky videos.

Below is the unedited video which was taken while on a bumpy tricycle ride:

Here's the edited video where I also applied the "auto-fix" feature which improves the color.

I didn't expect the outcome to be as crisp as the original one. For most of us who only have ordinary digicams mounted on our shaky hands - this feature should come very handy. Here's an explanation of the technical details behind the stabilization.

A Year into Mountaineering: Hits and Misses, Lessons and Stories - Draft

A beetle struggles on a blade of grass, the same way we struggle on the trail.
A cloud-capped Bulusan Volcano stands on the background.

I wanted to say that there are two kinds of mountaineers - those who blog and tell a story, and those who just climb and make no big deal out of it. It doesn't take long to realize that this sort of classification isn't accurate. The latter species do not exist - it takes ones heart to pursue a hobby that is not only physically taxing but financially as well; mountaineering is a big deal. British explorer Dave Nixon ones said that the whole idea of old-fashioned mountaineering is "to get there and get back in one piece, and tell the great story at the end of it". The story comes in the form of blogs, of facebook albums and attempts to share the story even with friends who probably do not care. Regardless of the form, anyone who climbs has stories to tell. Secretly, even, there's pride from doing something that most people can't or won't.