So, cheers to the gods of blogging! May 2012 be a prolific year for blogging!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Starting Anew in 2012
I've decided to give more time to blogging again. There's a lot going on for me, both personally and professionally, but I believe that spending a few minutes to reflect on things and write about it would be a good way to keep my mind sharp and my views in the right perspective. And hopefully somebody else will find my writings helpful.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Paris
It's been a while since my last post on this blog and I felt kinda sad about it. I still don't have much to post, although that doesn't mean that there isn't much going on in my life right now -- quite the contrary!
Anyway, the reason I'm blogging again (and hopefully it'll be more frequent) is because I heard Yael Naim's song, Paris. Actually, I've heard it for some time now but I didn't know the lyrics. A Google search today finally gave me something (from a web forum) that's understandable and readable (not just Hebrew characters). So here it is, Yael Naim's Paris with lyrics:
Paris
by Yael Naim
Barachti lemakom acher kol kach maher hachi rachok sherak hitslachti veani bepariz
Haorot dolkim afor veananim ani smecha vetov li aval kol kach kar li bepariz
Mistovevet schor uschor besimtaot ksumot mechushafot bol’ot oti ani bepariz
Binyanim yafim atem zkenim veatsilim kol kach aval haim techamemu oti bepariz
Hmmm... Loin de ma maison à Paris
Bati ad lekan lehistanver ktsat ashlaya yafa sheli nasi litfos oti ani bepariz
Shuv holechet leibud chalom atsuv ani kvar mefursemet veshom’im alay kan bepariz
Achshav hakol shelcha lochesh li merachok ani mitgaagea boi tachzeri elay kvar mipariz
Ani ohev otach ani ohev otach ani ohev otach ani ohev otach vepariz
Hmmm... Loin de mon amour à Paris
Im kol kach tov li po az lama shuv ani bocha vemishtagaat
Oui, je suis si heureuse, alors pourquoi la nuit je pleure?
Mitgaagaat bepariz
Shemesh meira oti mehachalon veod meat argish kvar et hachom
Hamatos nochet veeyn kvar ananim haosher mechalchel shuv letochi shalom pariz
Anyway, the reason I'm blogging again (and hopefully it'll be more frequent) is because I heard Yael Naim's song, Paris. Actually, I've heard it for some time now but I didn't know the lyrics. A Google search today finally gave me something (from a web forum) that's understandable and readable (not just Hebrew characters). So here it is, Yael Naim's Paris with lyrics:
Paris
by Yael Naim
Barachti lemakom acher kol kach maher hachi rachok sherak hitslachti veani bepariz
Haorot dolkim afor veananim ani smecha vetov li aval kol kach kar li bepariz
Mistovevet schor uschor besimtaot ksumot mechushafot bol’ot oti ani bepariz
Binyanim yafim atem zkenim veatsilim kol kach aval haim techamemu oti bepariz
Hmmm... Loin de ma maison à Paris
Bati ad lekan lehistanver ktsat ashlaya yafa sheli nasi litfos oti ani bepariz
Shuv holechet leibud chalom atsuv ani kvar mefursemet veshom’im alay kan bepariz
Achshav hakol shelcha lochesh li merachok ani mitgaagea boi tachzeri elay kvar mipariz
Ani ohev otach ani ohev otach ani ohev otach ani ohev otach vepariz
Hmmm... Loin de mon amour à Paris
Im kol kach tov li po az lama shuv ani bocha vemishtagaat
Oui, je suis si heureuse, alors pourquoi la nuit je pleure?
Mitgaagaat bepariz
Shemesh meira oti mehachalon veod meat argish kvar et hachom
Hamatos nochet veeyn kvar ananim haosher mechalchel shuv letochi shalom pariz
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Finally!
I'm so happy with myself today. Why? Well, simply because after months of preparation I finally finished my first 10km running race!
It all started when my former team leader at work gave me a copy of Jogging International, a French-language magazine on running, early last year. It was a special edition on marathons, with various articles from training programs to diet and foot injuries. I don't know why exactly, but it spurred my interest in running. I actually had tried to run before that but holding that magazine in my hand made me more determined to really finish a marathon.
However, by summer (around June 2010) I realized that I was too heavy. A very slow run or even a brisk walk was enough to raise my heart rate to very high levels. So I started looking around for ways to lose weight.
An online friend introduced me to the P90X training program. This program was extremely difficult for me and it took me weeks to finally decide to commit to this program. I had to try some of the exercises, just to get a taste of it. After a session of the cardio routines (and watching a lot of testimonials on YouTube) I decided that I will do it.
I started doing classic P90X exercises in mid-September 2010, weighing in at 94kg. For the next two months, I religiously did the exercises, devoting at least an hour every night. I bought a pull-up bar, a heart rate monitor, a yoga mat, and a set of weights. The beauty of P90X is that you can easily do it at home.
The best part of P90X for me, however, was the diet. I followed the "portion approach" of the P90X diet. The fact that the first month of P90X required a protein-centric diet suits me just fine -- I love eating meat! Also, I like that I didn't have to go hungry just to lose weight. A grumbling stomach doesn't bode well for me in any case.
After 9 weeks of P90X (mid-November 2010), and losing 12kg of weight, I slowly shifted back to running. This was intentional because I was scheduled to go for a month-long vacation in the Philippines by December 2010. I didn't want to abruptly stop doing P90X, so I started skipping it on some nights and went running instead.
During my 5-week vacation in Manila, I wasn't able to do much sports. But surprisingly, I still managed to lose 2kg more. It must be due to the regular eating schedule that we had (my kids need to eat at regular intervals).
I resumed running upon my return from vacation. But then, I started having problems with my right foot. On January 24, 2011 I felt something ticked on my right foot, somewhere inside my heel, just as I was leaving my office. I suspected that it was due to the stress of running the day before that. But, I thought it was something that was gonna go away by itself.
Unfortunately, it didn't go away. I finally went to see my doctor on February 2, 2011. Ironically, it was an appointment that I set weeks earlier to get a medical certificate that will allow me to run in a race. You see I was already planning to run in the 10km race in Cannes (Le Semi de Cannes) on the 20th of February. So, obviously, I was disappointed that I couldn't go. The doctor gave me an anti-inflammatory drug and it gave me some relief. However, walking a few hundred meters was enough to trigger a bit of sharp pain just above the heel. For some twisted logic, I didn't go to a podiatrist or a sports doctor and simply limped along for the next few weeks. By early March 2011, however, my foot seems to have recovered.
If there was a good thing with my foot injury, it's that it forced me to change my style of running. I used to run with my heels hitting the ground first before my toes. In order to avoid feeling any pain with my right heel, I deliberately changed my step and forced my toe to hit the ground first. It's a bit difficult at first, but I already had previous experience with this thanks to the plyometric exercises in P90X where you have to jump and land on the floor with your only your toes hitting the ground. Also, my new pair of running shoes, Adidas Marathon 10, which I bought at half-price just before I got injured, easily allows me to run this way.
So, with my new style of running, I started monitoring my progress. I found RunKeeper which runs on my Android phone. At first, I ran a bit slower because I used to associate a toe-first step with slower jogging. But I kept at it, thinking that it's just like doing P90X Plyometrics. Soon enough, I was able to do sprints without hitting my heels on the ground.
And today, I was able to finally run 10km at a race: the 20th Semi-Marathon International de Nice! Official time: 01:03:00.69. This is also my best long-distance speed ever, faster than in any of my training runs. So I'm very, very pleased with myself today.
Next goal, a 21km race!
It all started when my former team leader at work gave me a copy of Jogging International, a French-language magazine on running, early last year. It was a special edition on marathons, with various articles from training programs to diet and foot injuries. I don't know why exactly, but it spurred my interest in running. I actually had tried to run before that but holding that magazine in my hand made me more determined to really finish a marathon.
However, by summer (around June 2010) I realized that I was too heavy. A very slow run or even a brisk walk was enough to raise my heart rate to very high levels. So I started looking around for ways to lose weight.
An online friend introduced me to the P90X training program. This program was extremely difficult for me and it took me weeks to finally decide to commit to this program. I had to try some of the exercises, just to get a taste of it. After a session of the cardio routines (and watching a lot of testimonials on YouTube) I decided that I will do it.
I started doing classic P90X exercises in mid-September 2010, weighing in at 94kg. For the next two months, I religiously did the exercises, devoting at least an hour every night. I bought a pull-up bar, a heart rate monitor, a yoga mat, and a set of weights. The beauty of P90X is that you can easily do it at home.
The best part of P90X for me, however, was the diet. I followed the "portion approach" of the P90X diet. The fact that the first month of P90X required a protein-centric diet suits me just fine -- I love eating meat! Also, I like that I didn't have to go hungry just to lose weight. A grumbling stomach doesn't bode well for me in any case.
After 9 weeks of P90X (mid-November 2010), and losing 12kg of weight, I slowly shifted back to running. This was intentional because I was scheduled to go for a month-long vacation in the Philippines by December 2010. I didn't want to abruptly stop doing P90X, so I started skipping it on some nights and went running instead.
During my 5-week vacation in Manila, I wasn't able to do much sports. But surprisingly, I still managed to lose 2kg more. It must be due to the regular eating schedule that we had (my kids need to eat at regular intervals).
I resumed running upon my return from vacation. But then, I started having problems with my right foot. On January 24, 2011 I felt something ticked on my right foot, somewhere inside my heel, just as I was leaving my office. I suspected that it was due to the stress of running the day before that. But, I thought it was something that was gonna go away by itself.
Unfortunately, it didn't go away. I finally went to see my doctor on February 2, 2011. Ironically, it was an appointment that I set weeks earlier to get a medical certificate that will allow me to run in a race. You see I was already planning to run in the 10km race in Cannes (Le Semi de Cannes) on the 20th of February. So, obviously, I was disappointed that I couldn't go. The doctor gave me an anti-inflammatory drug and it gave me some relief. However, walking a few hundred meters was enough to trigger a bit of sharp pain just above the heel. For some twisted logic, I didn't go to a podiatrist or a sports doctor and simply limped along for the next few weeks. By early March 2011, however, my foot seems to have recovered.
If there was a good thing with my foot injury, it's that it forced me to change my style of running. I used to run with my heels hitting the ground first before my toes. In order to avoid feeling any pain with my right heel, I deliberately changed my step and forced my toe to hit the ground first. It's a bit difficult at first, but I already had previous experience with this thanks to the plyometric exercises in P90X where you have to jump and land on the floor with your only your toes hitting the ground. Also, my new pair of running shoes, Adidas Marathon 10, which I bought at half-price just before I got injured, easily allows me to run this way.
So, with my new style of running, I started monitoring my progress. I found RunKeeper which runs on my Android phone. At first, I ran a bit slower because I used to associate a toe-first step with slower jogging. But I kept at it, thinking that it's just like doing P90X Plyometrics. Soon enough, I was able to do sprints without hitting my heels on the ground.
And today, I was able to finally run 10km at a race: the 20th Semi-Marathon International de Nice! Official time: 01:03:00.69. This is also my best long-distance speed ever, faster than in any of my training runs. So I'm very, very pleased with myself today.
Next goal, a 21km race!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Finally, a new C++ standard!
Earlier today, the ISO Working Group on the C++ programming language has approved the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) for C++. The final ISO approval is expected to be in August 2011. So we can definitely call it C++2011.
As a C++ application developer, this is good news for me. There'll be lots of new things to learn about the language and better ways to write C++ code.
Thanks to the C++ Standards Committee!
As a C++ application developer, this is good news for me. There'll be lots of new things to learn about the language and better ways to write C++ code.
Thanks to the C++ Standards Committee!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Juan Luis Guerra: Mi Bendición (Guitar Chords and Lyrics)
I discovered the Latin singer Juan Luis Guerra yesterday on Spotify and I fell in love with one of his songs "Mi Bendición". I couldn't find the guitar chords online so I decided to pick up my old guitar and write them down myself. Here goes...
Mi Bendición
Juan Luis Guerra
CM7--F-G
C Dm7 Em7 FM7
Dicen que las flores no dejaban de cantar
Dm7 G7sus4 G7
tu nombre, tu nombre cariño
C Dm7 Em7 FM7
Que las olas de los mares te hicieron un chal
Dm7 E7sus4 E7
de espuma, de nubes y lirios
Am Am/G Am/F#
Y la luna no se convenció
D7 D7sus4-D7
Y bajo a mirarte el corazón
C Dm7 Em7 FM7
Y al mirarte dijo que no había visto un sol
Dm7 E7sus4 E7 FM7
radiante, mas bello que mi bendición
G Em7 C7sus4 C7 FM7
Tenerte, besarte, andar de la mano contigo
G Em7 C7sus4 C7 FM7
Mi cielo, mirarte, decirte un te quiero al oído
Em7 G7sus4,G7 CM7 FM7-G
yo te lo digo, que bendición
C Dm7 Em7 FM7
Dicen que las palmas aplaudían al oír
Dm7 G7sus4 G7
tus pasos, tus pasos cariño
C Dm7 Em7 FM7
Que los ríos salen de su cauce al contemplar
Dm7 E7sus4 E7
tus ojos, tus ojos divinos
Am Am/G Am/F#
Y un lucero no se convenció
D7 D7sus4-D7
Y bajo a mirarte el corazón
C Dm7 Em7 FM7
Y al mirarte dijo que no había visto luna
Dm7 E7sus4 E7 FM7
llena, mas bella que mi bendición
G Em7 C7sus4 C7 FM7
Tenerte, besarte, andar de la mano contigo
G Em7 C7sus4 C7 FM7
Mi cielo, mirarte, decirte un te quiero al oído
Em7 G7sus4,G7 CM7
yo te lo digo, que bendición
Fm CM7
Cuando me hablas oigo un coro de amor para dos
Fm G FM7
El falsete de un te quiero pegado a tu voz, que bendición
G Em7 C7sus4 C7 FM7
Tenerte, besarte, andar de la mano contigo
G Em7 C7sus4 C7 FM7
Mi cielo, mirarte, decirte un te quiero al oído
Em7 G7sus4,G7 FM7
yo te lo digo, que bendición
G Em7 C7sus4 C7 FM7
Tenerte, besarte, andar de la mano contigo
G Em7 C7sus4 C7 FM7
Mi cielo, mirarte, decirte un te quiero al oído
Em7 G7sus4,G7 CM7
yo te lo digo, que bendición
FM7-G CM7
Que bendición…
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Living in Manila
It's great to be home with family and friends. More so when you're doing it during the Christmas holidays in the Philippines -- officially the world's longest.
I left Nice earlier this month to spend a bit more than a month in the Philippines. Since my wife now works in the country's financial capital city of Makati, we've decided to stay put in the Metro Manila area. It would've been more fun back in my hometown in Iligan, but the thought of having my first Christmas in the Philippine capital is actually a bit exciting.
For all the heavy traffic, the sea of people (at least 12 million people live in the National Capital Region), the pollution (noise, smoke, dust, you name it), you can't help but love Manila (unless all you want to do is jog or do a marathon -- because, really, you'd have to be a bit suicidal to run right next to Manila's roads). Manila is a city that NEVER sleeps. It's got almost everything an average guy like me could want -- provided you have money, of course. The ubiquitous shopping malls -- THE MALLS!!! I know, I know, it's unbridled capitalism but I sometimes wish they have a lot of those in France. They just make shopping so convenient.
I've never really liked the thought of living in Manila (or any capital city for that matter) but now that I've tried it, I am actually surprised to realize that it's not so bad after all!
Related Reading(s):
I left Nice earlier this month to spend a bit more than a month in the Philippines. Since my wife now works in the country's financial capital city of Makati, we've decided to stay put in the Metro Manila area. It would've been more fun back in my hometown in Iligan, but the thought of having my first Christmas in the Philippine capital is actually a bit exciting.
For all the heavy traffic, the sea of people (at least 12 million people live in the National Capital Region), the pollution (noise, smoke, dust, you name it), you can't help but love Manila (unless all you want to do is jog or do a marathon -- because, really, you'd have to be a bit suicidal to run right next to Manila's roads). Manila is a city that NEVER sleeps. It's got almost everything an average guy like me could want -- provided you have money, of course. The ubiquitous shopping malls -- THE MALLS!!! I know, I know, it's unbridled capitalism but I sometimes wish they have a lot of those in France. They just make shopping so convenient.
I've never really liked the thought of living in Manila (or any capital city for that matter) but now that I've tried it, I am actually surprised to realize that it's not so bad after all!
Related Reading(s):
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