A Real Road Test In the Streets of Manila with the CHUCK II KNIT Sneakers

I'm a shoeholic and I'm currently on a shoe diet now because I probably have 136++ pairs of shoes where I keep it. I pretty much know what looks good or not for me and suffice to say, a good 30% of the shoes I own are actually Converse CHUCKS. Now that tells you how much I do love the brand, and perhaps give you a picture how it is with other people that own shoes like it.

There are a lot of technological advancements now with Converse shoes. First off, they listened to consumers and they have really changed the way we look at the CHUCK II. For me, Chucks has pretty much satisfied me in the comfort department because they made the shoe light and I can walk for hours without feeling hurt at all. Although there are some instances where if the terrain is a little bumpy, you could feel the road on your feet. This is where they employ the Lunarlon technology. You see, this is the cushioning foam that they put in CHUCK II's that basically gets you the support and comfort you need without compromising weight that Chucks are actually known for. It's 30% lighter than the usual phylon insoles you see in rubber shoes and they've made it available in future models. 

Speaking of which, we just got hold of the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star II Knit Collection. This was planned to be released in May, but since we're good boys and girls they went ahead and did it in April (which means it's available now!). Now I know if you're new, you probably aren't going to buy a descent pair of Chucks just by the looks department (although I would on impulse) but if you saw these pairs in real life, you know it's going to last you longer than the usual pair. Why you ask? It's because of it's built, it's got tightly woven knit material which I'm sure would weather the abuse of everyday life. Bumps, scratches, other people who step on it, might only get it a bit dirty but NOT damage it at all. In a normal world, this is already unusual and getting this material in a pair of Chucks Knit II is just amazing. They also had it in different colors, Volt Green, Black, Yellow, Roadtrip Blue, Red, White and Spraypaint Blue. It's high cut but the one I got isn't and I'm glad they have variety. I didn't just take their word for it, we really did a road test in the oldest Chinatown in the world, the Binondo District in old Manila. We got the services of Ivan Man Dy who does Food Wok's (another term for Food Walk) so we could get to know Manila and the Chinoy food culture, an activity that I surely enjoyed. Here's how it went in photos!

We wore our comfy Lunarlon embedded Chuck II Knit Sneakers in the historical Binondo Church. Then we met with Ivan Man Dy who told us to meet several other people, foreigners who joined in the tour that day. I took off my Red All Weather Waterproof Chucks and wore this Roadtrip Blue low cut Chuck II Knit Sneakers!

Ultimate Taste Test 2014 with San Miguel Lifestyle Brews

San Miguel Super Dry, Cerveza Negra and San Miguel Premium All Malt Beer

I've been able to cover the first and second Ultimate Taste Test and was kinda sad I didn't get to do the third one. The stars and the planets aligned this last weekend and got us to attend the greatest foodie event in Metro Manila, Rockwell's 4th Ultimate Taste Test 2014. It's where 50 of Manila's greatest home based food businesses and Power Plant's Restaurants converge. Participants become true blue food reviewers for a day to see who fares the best in this year's Ultimate Taste Test 2014. The hits will also be gladly paired with their favorite San Miguel Lifestyle Brews which I saw all over the venue that afternoon which includes even the desserts which I'll let you see in a bit. Let's start the ball rolling shall we?

Fisher Farms Gourmet Baked Rellenong Bangus

I liked the part where it's baked so it's not as oily as your regular Rellenong Bangus. The taste, it was good but it leaned more into the sour side which might be caused by uneven distribution of the ingredient on the slice that I got or, it might be just the way it is. I give credit to the thought of baking this thing rather than deep frying because it presents a more healthier alternative to an already healthy fish. We'll score this 3/5. 

Belly Bob's Boneless Lechon Belly de Cebu paired with San Miguel Super Dry Beer

Belly Bob's Boneless Lechon Belly

Seeing the rolls of Boneless Lechon Belly on the display counter just made my mouth water. I thought it was going to be a hit already because it is after all lechon. The spice was good, the taste of the meat was good, but when I did take a bite on it I felt it wasn't "all that" good. It was a little upset because I had high hopes for it judging from the way it looked. It was good that this is the Ultimate Taste Test so I was with other foodies on the venue and when I asked about it, they had nothing but good things to say about the lechon belly. I got worried, so I went back to the Belly Bob's station and tried to taste it again. That's when I found out that I was tasting something off because the thing they served me the first time was cold. The hot one I got tasted differently and was a whole lot better. The air conditioning in the venue might have been the culprit. This thing should have a warning sign on it that it's best when eaten hot otherwise, they'll have a problem on the ratings later on. I'm giving this 4/5 on the premise that it's hot, when it's cold it would be like a 2. The beer made my life better as it's my favorite beer in the world. San Miguel Super Dry was perfect with the savory lechon, even more if it's ice cold!

Fat Or Obese Is Okay, Exercise Is Medicine

Dr. Mark Stoutenberg and Dr. Rodolfo Florentino

 

I'm not the healthiest guy out there and my idea of "exercise" is just a few kilograms of dumbbells. I thought too that I was already doomed because I know how big I was. Lo and behold Dr. Mark Stoutenberg Ph.D. MSPH brings me good news that clinical studies in the US has proven that there is no clear amount information to claim - that being overweight or obese would mean you''ll die early. Being in that state has no relation whatsoever in the mortality rate. We listened very carefully about the study and the reasons behind it.

 Unbelievable? Well no, because actually it does make sense. It doesn't mean when you are bigger, you would die easily. No matter what shape or size you are, just as long as you keep the activity intense and on a regular basis... then you might just even live longer than naturally thin people. In the US, they have computerized their database and have found out in a couple of questions that there's no clear correlation between having higher weight to having heart attack or death. That was their conclusion after checking their records and seen how the value of involving a healthier lifestyle for someone be a great catalyst to make someone's condition better than when not doing it at all.

"Exercise Is Medicine" or EIM is an international initiative for physical activities whose goal is to ultimately promote the the skill to health professionals and practitioners and make it a vital measure for disease prevention and management. EIM might be new in the Philippines but most do not know how it's been in existence in over 40 countries, 7 Regional Centers in North America, Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, China, Africa and Australia. It's officially their first year in the Philippines and together with their international partners like Coca Cola Philippines, they have been working hard to involve the different groups, professionals that are health care practitioners, some research scientists, to physical fitness experts and make them in touch with the future development and evaluation of EIM in the country.  

Training sessions were also done by EIM Philippines last August 28th and 29 for 12 Doctors and 6 Fitness professionals. The activity would be just a start so people from both industries would meet eye to eye when recommending regimens and exercise programs and know what the others would do in their respective professions. The deal is, they want this to be the possible outcome for every recommendation from Doctors. They also need to include workout regimen and programs that would fit every patient needs without getting conflicting ideas from other fitness professionals, making it safer and better for the end user, YOU.

The possibility of working out at least 150 minutes with moderate intensity and of aerobic nature is achievable for ordinary people, I could use some of that too. Dr. Florentino says it will have a significant impact in someones life. By then, 300 minutes of it would be doubly better and will get you to achieve more. To know more about how EIM can work for you, check out their channels below.

For more information about their organization:

Exercise Is Medicine

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http://www.exerciseismedicine.org/