35 Before 35

In no particular order - and inspired by the incredible Celine Novenario - here is my list of 35 Before 35. Some are goals that I intend to achieve while others are habits I would like to cultivate. A lot of them entail willpower, self-discipline and the support of my peers.

I had to edit a lot - there were items on the original list that are dependent on factors out of my control. Those ones are on a mental list (parang The Secret).

1. Swim at least twice a week if I don't go surfing.

2. Do "Yoga for Surfers" every morning.

3. Capoeira at least once a week (should budget allow it)

4. Finally take that pole dancing class with Djong and Pia!

5. Surf at the very least once a month, using mostly Pandora and Alexa Jazz over WC.

6. Try that all female gym Ria told Binky about.

7. Go sugar free for a month every quarter

8. Stick to the "1x a month for fast food" plan.

9. Surf Cemento's peak on a shoulder-high day and make the drop consistently by the start of the late North Swell.

10. Go on one photo walk every month, even if it's just around the city.

11. Finally organize and publish my online photo portfolio.

12. Get back in the publishing game - freelance more.

13. Update my blog weekly.

14. LITERALLY inch my way back to the 2005 body or a close approximation thereof.

15. Attend SpinDependence at least every other month to spin fire and light.

16. Learn to make bread.

17. Get my driver's license.

18. Dive Cebu.

19. Go to Bicol.

20. Swim with the whalesharks again -- this time with a proper underwater camera.

21. Manage my finances better than I did in 2010.

22. Visit the Pahiyas festival the day BEFORE the actual fiesta.

23. Put the "No more split ends" rule into full effect. ;)

24. Do or try something new -- something I've never done before -- once a month.

25. Learn to make pasta from scratch.

26. Drink 8 glasses of water a day. For real na talaga.

27. Do a 5k "run" with Djong

28. Join every single free contest and raffle I come across.

29. Get Brown Belly into more stores in more cities.

30. Dive Palawan.

31. Get to the office before noon. All the time. :P

32. Get inked.

33. Own more than two pairs of "grown up" shoes and two sets of "grown up" clothes.

34. Be more involved with charity and outreach work.

35. Begin - and end - each day in prayer.

Thoughts from my mental roda

I played capoeira for a solid 4 and a half years. Hard core got into it. Four, sometimes five, times a week.

I learned not only to do the kicks and combos but also to embrace a holistic way of thinking. Because capoeira is not just about the Eddie Gordo moves you see in video games. It is also about music and dance and energy. A game is not just two people in the middle of the roda. That game is dictated by the bateria, it gets its energy for the people surrounding the players... and the singers and bateria get their energy from the back-and-forth flow of the players. It all goes round and round. Axe. Ie. The fact that I developed a four pack was a bonus I gladly accepted. ;)

So, back to what I was planning to say. I played capoeira for 4 and a half years. And then, I stopped. For many very different but substantial reasons, I stopped playing. For four years. And now, for reasons way too personal for a public blog, I am back. Back to reclaim the axe. Back to reclaim Pretinha. At least, that's the plan.

It isn't easy. I am easily frustrated with myself. Moves that were once as natural as breathing - the martelo rotado, the meia lua de compasso, the simple act of a bananeira - now elude me. My brain remembers the mechanics but my body is not at a stage where it can cooperate.

The first time I held a pandeiro again, I could barely play it for more than a few minutes. I used to be able to hold that pandeiro for entire rodas. I don't even want to try picking up a berimbau yet during the roda for fear that my hand will cramp and I will ruin the melody. And when my joints start to hurt, vestigial reminders of my recent bout with viral arthritis, I can hear the small voice of Kagey in my head go "Dammit." I reluctantly remove myself from training to rest, catch my breath, wait for the swelling to subside. Same thing when I get dizzy and have to find the nearest source of air so I don't faint. I don't remember it being this difficult. I really don't.

Frustrating.

And yet, I am so happy to be back. With every ginga, with every note of the bateira, with every shuffle of the samba... I can feel axe pouring back into my body. I am thankful to my camaras, to Fantasma, and to the new EBC students who have been so supportive of my return to the roda. Thank you for not only the encouragement but also the patience.

My body is still recovering. I know that.

I am expected to still be weak and get tired. I know that.

Slowly, slowly... it will all come back. I know that.

At the end of the day, I can move... I have almost full mobility again... and for that I should be thankful. Only a few months ago, I couldn't close my hands into fists and had to walk by shuffling my feet like a geriatric. So yes, I remind myself every day, to be grateful for the use of my body again.

"Meu Deus, muito obrigado, pela capoeira eu pode jogar."

Today is Day 5 of the EBC Summer Workshops with visiting Profs Pimbal and Sapo giving special classes. The Bacolod students have arrived. Tomorrow there is a public demo at BSide at 5pm which goes straight into this party featuring Brigada and some other musical guests. I have a feeling the axe is going to be through the roof.