Weak

Light Streaks, oh how I love them. Sky above SM Megamall

It might be the transition period between the summer and rainy season, but I've been drenched in sweat almost 24/7. I met with a friend last Thursday and I couldn't help but feel ashamed that I was a bloody mess (sorry!) . Regardless of external factors, I felt that I had grown weak... in body, mind and spirit.

Train the Body: Taebo in itself is outdated and boring, but it's a bit more tolerable if I watch something else while doing it. Some anime rerun or a movie I've watched, makes the 40+ minutes go by easily. Haven't tried it with pron yet, probably a bad idea :)).

Train the Mind: It doesn't have to be related to what I need to do, but I should at least read up on my interests. NASA news, Tech Articles, Photography, etc.

Train the Spirit: Have more enthusiasm, smile, go FOOOOOOO!!! more often (figuratively). Life seems boring and slow only if you're not living it fast enough. Take tons of pictures. Go out and meet new people, and for goodness sake, try and remember their names :P.

Memorable Summer

I'm afraid that this summer will pass and will be cataloged in 'just another one'. Gone are the days when summer is a 'mandatory break'. Now you have to capture it and grab it by the horns.

Can anyone suggest something fun and memorable that I can mark summer'07 by?

Discombobulating Surprise

Why is it that there are some things, no matter how much you brace yourself, still makes you go "MAH!?"

Water Spa...ahhhhhhh

My sister was here the other week and my family took the opportunity to try out ACE Water Spa located in Del Monte Ave. It was a worthwhile experience that would be nice to try every now and then.

For 500php, it entitles you to 4 hours inside the facility. The place has a 4ft laps pool, a fun stream that goes around the place, lots of different water jet massage spots, sauna, steam and 3 herbal hot pools.

I really like the rain drop massage. You lie face down and water showers down on your whole body, it starts ticklish then it batters down like a wall. It somehow blanks out your mind and
relaxes your body. It lasts 3 minutes and I probably went at it 8 times.

The herbal hot pools were neat. It's probably an approximation of japanese hot springs and was really relaxing. Each one has a different herb mixture and temperature (36C, 38C,40C). The difficult part is having to take a dip in an ice cold pool after 5mins in a hot one. Otherwise, it felt great.

I spent the rest of my time switching between steam then sauna. I probably ejected toxins out of my body thru sweat. Drinking water is available so replenishing is not a problem.

I really need to go in again due to the stress the btel project gave me. Anybody wanna join me? (strictly swimsuit/trunks attire inside).

Old brochure here and here.

Thermodynamics isn't Rocket Science... right?

So I took that subject in college twice, but because of that I have better appreciation of the principles that govern it. (Was there sarcasm between the lines?) It has been predicted that this summer will be extremely hot, and it'll be horrible trying to work at home sweating like a pig. So I set out to find ways to keep cool.

1. Cheap Traditional Cooling (Electric Fan): Cool on the wallet but not too effective. If the temperature of the air is hot, so will the air that will hit your face.

2. Expensive Way (Air-Conditioner): One of the best ways to keep cool but is also the worst in cost. If planned properly, it will make working this summer a lot more tolerable.

3. 300 Way: A healthy, unconventional method of keeping cool is through exercise. I'm not sure if will really work, but I'm trying it right now. I'm doing tae-bo cardio workouts during the hot portion of the day, which will get me fit and make the rest of the day seem cool.


Quest for the Ideal Air-Conditioning Setup

There are a number of factors that one needs to consider when looking for an AirCon.

1. Room Size: The floor area of the room to be cooled is a quick way of narrowing down choices. Specifications of the units such as this tell you how big a room it is capable of cooling. If the unit is too strong, the electric bill takes the hit. If underpowered, the unit overworks and you don't feel the cooling. My room is around 12sq.m. so 0.75-1.0 hp should work for me.
2. EER: These are the yellow labels present when you see them at stores. The higher the number, the more efficient its cooling is. Any value above 10 is plenty efficient.
3. Bonus Features: Advanced filters, 'cleanability', mobility are some extras that you may consider.

After looking around appliance stores and the net, I found a local who sold this Arlec unit at a low price. I was interested in the unit because it was portable and cheap. Suspicious, yes. Dodgy, yes. But it was a good deal and I wanted to check it out.

I was in contact with the seller via SMS and planned to meet him to see the unit. I was cautious enough to just bring exact cash and nothing else. He was easy enough to talk to, but the packaging of the unit was in bad shape (termites took residence at the bottom of the box). The unit looked unused and in good shape. We let it run for a bit and it worked fine. I soooo wanted that unit so I paid him, called for a taxi and hauled it away.

I wasn't blown away initially, but that was expected. My room had to be modified so that heat will be shielded out and airflow reduced. But after all that trouble, I can now work or rest better through this summer blaze.

My kawaii Arlec AirCon. That's aluminum shielding on the window so heat and vented air doesn't come in. I also used a thick 600V cable to feed this lil monster.

Safety tip: For high power appliances, it is imperative to give them a dedicated line from the circuit breaker/fuse box. The line should also be rated high enough to pass around twice the rated current. If any part of the circuit heats up (wire, cord, socket) , its a sign telling that part is rated too low for your purpose.

Letters Over the Summer

I had dinner with Chari and Arvi the other night and one of the topics that came up was Snail Mail during summer.

We were pretty young and at that time cellphones, email and other electronic communication was unheard of. Being teenagers we had to make do with paper and the postal system. It might sound weird and silly, but this was how we kept in touch in the olden days. A postage stamp for less than 5Php can send your thoughts and handwriting to any place in the country. It was slow, troublesome and takes time to write, but sending or receiving one really meant something.

I miss those days, but it is you whom I'll miss dearly. Be online more often so I don't have to resort to snail mail :D