(Activity) Bacoor to Tagaytay Bike Ride

You don't have to be a cyclist to ride from Bacoor to Tagaytay, Love had proven that it can be done with minimal biking mileage, one way at least. It was such a memorable experience as it was the first time I rode a bike for more than six hours.

Our Fitness Level:

Myself

•  I bike-commute from Bacoor to Makati (around 20 km) once a week, two-way. I started doing this last year.
• My longest ride was a one way bike-commute from Robinsons Galleria to SM Bacoor (around 30+ km).

Our former Boss

• He's been riding for most of his adult life and he's in his 50s. 
• He's already done the trip many times. Mostly, his starting point is in Alabang.
• He bike-commutes from Pasig to Makati daily.

Love

• Prior to the trip, her biking experience was her childhood.

So whose idea was it to ride from Bacoor to Tagaytay? It was hers!

Our Bikes:

We all used folding bikes/minivelo with 20" wheels. 

From left:  Giant Expressway, XDS 420, Love's MTB Folder

The Road to Tagaytay:

We met up at my house near SM Bacoor and left at around 6:30–7:00 a.m. We took the Aguinaldo Highway route and paced slowly since Love was still getting used to navigating in traffic. We stopped at a Jollibee right after Robinsons Imus for a light breakfast. Stop one. Distance travelled: 6 km.

We then proceeded to ride quicker so we can reach Pala-pala before noon. We took a stop at a McDonalds near Robinsons Pala-pala to rest-up and prepare for the continuous uphill. Stop two. Distance travelled: 17 km. Time check: 9:30 a.m.

Mata lang ang exposed

What came after started getting more difficult with continuous uphills and the sun getting hotter. Good thing there's the occasional light rain. We made a lot of quick stops on the road to rest a little (guess who initiates them) then stopped for Buko juice as we passed by Silang. Stop n.  Distance travelled: 25 km. Time check: 11 a.m.

The adventure continues. With each rest stop, our legs get heavier, our butts more painful and our pace gets slower. Puro uphill at ang init! We then rested and ate some dimsum at Hapchan, Robinsons Supermarket in Silang, our supposed last stop. Distance travelled: 28 km.  Time check: 11:30 a.m.

It got brutal after that. Love couldn't ride the uphill anymore and started walking. Our boss, who looks like he's not getting tired at all, tied a rope to her bike and towed her. It looked really funny, too bad we didn't take any pictures.  Distance travelled: 33 km.  Time check: 12:30 p.m.

SA WAKAS! We reached Tagaytay. So proud of her for not giving up. Distance travelled: 38 km.  Time check: 1:30 p.m.

Reflections:

So what did we do wrong?

1. We took too many rest stops.
2. We were not mentally prepared for the uphill and distance.
3. Our pace was slow.
4. Our bikes were tiny.

I don't want to discourage other couples who want to try this activity, but if you're up for the challenge, here are some tips:

1. Psych yourself up before the trip. It will be long and tiring.
2. Some long riding experience would be useful.
3. The uphill after the half-way point will be continuous so a light bike with good gearing could do wonders.
4. Try to finish the ride in 4 hours, if it takes longer than that, your butts will suffer.
5. Organize a group ride where a car follows the riders so that people can cycle from driving/riding in the car and riding in bikes.

Don't forget the essentials:

• Helmet.
• Sunblock and sun protection (arm warmers, face mask).
• Spare bicycle tube, tire levers, hand pump, multi-tool.
• Bicycle locks.
• Change of clothes.
• Water bottles.

So what happened after we reached Tagyatay?

• We ate. A lot.
• Love declared that she can't manage the ride back.
• My rear tire was flat.
• Our boss went back to Bacoor by himself, picked up the SUV at my house and drove back for us. It took him only two hours for the ride back.
• I'm not proud about this, but during the time our boss was pedaling his heart out, Love and I were having a full body massage.
• After we got home, I couldn't ride or even look at my bike for a week.  Love haven't biked since.

Try it out.  It's fun.  

(Activity) Cinemalaya 2014

I've always wanted to go to a movie festival. I planned on going a few years ago, either with a friend or alone (I was single T_T), but I never knew when there was one. I've been hearing about the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, on how it's been producing great films year after year since its inception 10 years ago—becoming the biggest indie film festival in the country. 

Last year, I got to watch one of Cinemalaya's film entries in 2013, "Ekstra." The movie was released in select cinemas after the festival. Yes, I got someone to watch it with me, the woman I now call "Love," only back then I only knew her as "office mate-I-have-a-crush-on." We liked how the film depicted the lives of TV extras—a break from the usual Pinoy movie plots. And we also got a picture of how a telenovela production is like. 

This year, I followed the Cinemalaya Facebook page to know when the festival will take place, which was last week, August 1–10, 2014. Love and I researched the film entries, read the synopses and watched the trailers on YouTube. The screenings this year were held not only in CCP but also in some Ayala malls. We decided to watch in Greenbelt as it was nearer to both our workplaces.

Here are some of the things we discovered after watching some[6] of the films: 

1. We bought our tickets during the week of the festival (two days before the first day) and some of the screenings were already sold-out. I guess buying tickets a week earlier would be optimal. Tickets for CCP screenings are available online and tickets at Greenbelt are available once the schedules are released.  
2. The synopsis may look interesting but the movie might not be so good.
3. The opposite also applies, the synopsis or trailer might not be appealing but the movie can be really good.
4. Films with famous actors/directors get sold out quickly (Hustisya).
5. Watching more than one drama movie in a day was draining (Dagitab + Ronda). We had more fun with a combination of drama and action (Separados + The Janitor).  

I'm not a film critic (this is not a review) so I'll just write our reactions.  

Day 1: Separados + The Janitor

This was the best day for us. Separados was nice, finally, a movie where the girls were the root of relationship problems.

Next was The Janitor. I liked it, especially the fight between Dennis Trillo and Derek Ramsay, may grappling pa talaga... Made us think if the PNP really uses a hitman for sensitive issues.

Day 2: Asintado

The story was kind of dragging, a lot of talking with no background music. The actor playing the kid was good though.  

Day 3: #Y

This was a hate-love movie. It was funny and interesting, but at the same time, I hated that the representatives of generation Y were a slut, a lunatic, a social climber and a pervert, who all spoke in a dialect I hate—Conyo. What would generation Z say? 

Day 4: Dagitab + Ronda

Dagitab was one of those movies where it was interesting at first then towards the end, we were like, "Hindi pa ba tapos?"

Ronda was the worst one we've watched. Puro Ronda... Haha! What did we expect from a movie with that title?

Other films we did not watch:

• Hustisya - sold out early.
• Buwaya - we thought it wasn't good, turns out, it was the best film in the new breed category.
• 1st Ko si 3rd - I wish we've watched this one instead of Ronda.
• Kasal - I can't watch 2 guys making out (no offense intended)—best film in the director's showcase category.
• Children's Show - ayaw ni Love ng mga batang nagsasakitan.

These ones just didn't look appealing to us:

• K'na The Dreamweaver 
• Hari ng Tondo
• Sundalong Kanin

Overall, it was a nice experience which can be a yearly thing. I'd like to watch in CCP next time to feel more of the film festival spirit.