About SCTEX and other Government Infrastructure Projects

Ever since I learned about the construction of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway or SCTEX, I've been curious about it. Last Holy Week, I discovered that they soft opened it to ease the traffic since a lot of people were going north for the long holiday.

At that time, on our way to Baguio, I didn't know that SCT stood for Subic-Clark-Tarlac so I didn't dare use the highway fearing that we might end up going in the wrong direction. After I came back from Baguio, I googled it and found several information about SCTEX.

Now this is what I know about SCTEX:

• It's a 93.77 kilometer highway which is divided into two sections.
• The Subic-Clark section stretches 50.5 kilometers.
• The Clark-Tarlac section stretches 43.27 kilometers.
• It costs over Php27 billion to construct.
• It's to officially open by mid-April this year.

More information can be found here. But I wasn't able to find the information that I wanted. Since we travel mostly to Baguio, I was trying to find out if I could take the SCTEX so that I could skip the traffic in the Tarlac area. I basically wanted to know where in Tarlac the SCTEX ends.

Anyway, I also heard that SCTEX will be extended up to La Union. I'm not aware of the timing though but if that happens, travel time to Baguio will definitely be faster. 3 hours maybe? Now that's something to look forward to. I hope it pushes through and that no controversies will come out of it.

While searching the net regarding SCTEX, I discovered that there are actually a lot of similar types of projects that the government is undertaking. The ones I found were:

• C-5 expressway project(NLEX-SLEX link)
• SLEX extension project (we all know this)
• Manila-Cavite toll expressway project(R-1 expressway extension)
• Northrail project

I hope all of these government projects finishes because all these infrastructures would really benefit our economy. I'm not a fan of President GMA but kudos to her for these projects. I just hope there won't be corruption involved. I wish!

MH All-Terrain Race 2008

I just got my April copy of Men's Health Philippines and they already have an ad for the 3rd MH All-Terrain Race. It will be on June 15, same venue as last year at Timberland Heights, San Mateo Rizal.

This is one of the races I look forward to every year simply because it's different from other runs which is normally done on road pavements. This one is more challenging because it's on different terrains.

I hope this year men's health gives out singlets instead of T-shirts. Or if they decide to give T-shirts, I hope it's dri-fit type of material similar to the ones given by Mizuno during the Mizuno Run.

Men's Health folks.. I hope you get to read this. hehe..

Meanwhile, there are runs to look forward to in April and May.

PSE Bull Run results

I know this is late but I just came upon the results of the Jan 27 PSE Bull Run from pinoyrunner.com and my official time is 28:22 for 5K. Not bad at all.

I had tried searching the internet for the results days after the run but was not able to find it so I'm really glad to have known my time, not that it matters now. This was my first run for the year so I'm really happy that my time was under 30 minutes. =)

My Never Going Away Back Pain Part 2..

I wrote about my never going away back pain a few weeks ago and after I wrote it I went to see a doctor because I couldn't tolerate the pain anymore. The doctor diagnosed the pain I was feeling as a "Myofascial Pain Syndrome or MPS". WebMD.com described MPS as below:

"Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a fancy way to describe muscle pain. It refers to pain and inflammation in the body's soft tissues.
Myofascial pain is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles). Myofascial pain syndrome may involve either a single muscle or a muscle group. In some cases, the area where a person experiences the pain may not be where the myofascial pain generator is located. Experts believe that the actual site of the injury or the strain prompts the development of a trigger point that, in turn, causes pain in other areas. This situation is known as referred pain." More of this here.

So it's basically a muscle pain that can be triggered by anything from an improper sleep position to improper posture while in front of a computer. Several days after my visit to the doctor, my wife discovered that the culprit for my pain was the latter. My wife experienced the same pain when she worked from home one time which I also later experienced when I worked from home. I've been working from home once a week for months now and I didn't realize that it was what was causing my back pain. The table and chair we're using to put our laptops is not ergonomic at all.

Anyway, the doctor prescribed medications to help ease the pain which I'd say was very effective. She also advised that I undergo several PT (physical therapy) sessions. I'm down to my last PT session before I go see my doctor again. The pain is almost gone now but it'll come back again, as my doctor says, if I don't do something about correcting the incorrect posture.

It's really difficult to do that especially if it has already become a habit. As the saying goes, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks." hehe.... I'm admitting that I'm old but hey, I can still change.

Trisha's Sick!

Trisha has flu and I'm to blame. She got it from me. I feel bad and guilty that I infected her with my cough and colds. It's so difficult seeing her having a hard time because of her cough and colds. And she doesn't like the taste of her medicine so it's difficult for us to make her take her medications because she vomits everytime she takes them. =(

Her immune system is normally strong so this must be one hell of a virus. I hope and pray that she gets well soon because we can't bear to see her crying because she can't tell us if she feels any pain.

She's been sick since late Tuesday afternoon so we'll bring her to see her doctor tomorrow just to make sure that it's just a flu and nothing more serious.

Mizuno Run - Most Memorable Run!

This was one of the races I was looking forward to this year and I'm glad that I could say that "I survived the Mizuno Run!". This was not my first 10K run but this was definitely the most memorable. And for a number of reasons:

1. I almost didn't make it to the race. I was down with cough and colds days before the race and was not really feeling well. Worse was, a day before race day, LBM struck! But God was on my side, my tummy was better by nightfall.


2. We were late for the 10K run. Everyone was already gone by the time we arrived. When we left the starting line, it was already being announced that some of the 10K runners were on their way back. According to Alvin and Wa, we left the starting line 32 minutes after.


3. My ipod shuffle died on me. I had just passed the 3K mark when my ipod lost its power. Drained! I panicked for awhile because I use the ipod to keep my mind from counting how many kilometers more I have left before reaching the finish line. So I had to improvise, instead of listening to music, I just had to admire the view and focus on my running.


4. No water in the water stations! I've read alot of complaints about this in other blogs and I would have to agree with them. Running without water is really difficult especially with the summer heat. Good thing, I decided to bring a bottle of Gatorade with me. I don't normally bring any liquids but this time I had to because I knew I was still kinda sick. I don't think I'd finished the race without my Gatorade.


5. The unusual number of cars on the road. I don't mind having cars on the road as long as they (organizers) ensure that the runners are still safe.


6. Saw some famous runners namely the BullRunner, BaldRunner and Sen. Pia Cayetano. Wa and I was able to have our pictures taken with Sen. Pia Cayetano. Thanks Senator Pia!

7. Cheating! I personally witnessed this. I saw one of the guys handing out ropes give a guy and a girl their ropes even before they reach the 10K turnaround point. Honesty please.


8. When I crossed the finish line, I made sure to check my time. My unofficial time was 1:40:25. This is not my normal time. Please see #2.


9. The BullRunner had a link of the results in her blog. My official time was 1:28:57. I have no idea how they came up with this time. But.. good for me. hehe..

10. The Mizuno shirt was really good but it was a little big for me. They only had one size and it was large.


11. Got even more sick after the run and had to take a 2-day sick leave from work. Bad.. bad.. bad..

I'm still happy that I was able to participate in the first Mizuno run. I hope they do better next time. Run 100%

Our 100th month Anniversary

It's 100 for us!

Tet and I are celebrating our 100th month anniversary today, from the time she said 'yes' and we became a couple. We were supposed to celebrate with dinner and spa but because I am sick for days now, we had to cancel. Too bad! =(

Hon, here's a short message for you:

Happy 100th month anniversary to us! We've really come a long way. I'm so happy we're still together and that our love is stronger than ever. Looking forward to hundreds of months more with you. Let's go out and celebrate when I'm better.

I Love You! *mwah*